The United Nations human rights office has drawn a clear legal boundary around the U.S. military operation in Venezuela, arguing that accountability for abuses cannot come at the cost of international law. In a statement issued Tuesday, the office said the operation that captured President Nicolas Maduro undermined core legal principles governing relations between states. The intervention, carried out over the weekend and confirmed publicly by U.S. President Donald Trump on Jan. 3, has triggered concern at the UN over the erosion of territorial integrity and political independence as foundational norms.

The statement framed the issue as a structural trade-off rather than a moral endorsement of Caracas. While acknowledging Venezuela’s “longstanding and appalling human rights record,” the office stressed that unilateral military force cannot be a lawful mechanism for accountability. The warning was explicit: instability and further militarization risk compounding, not resolving, the country’s rights crisis.

“Undermined a Fundamental Principle”

UN spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani articulated the legal basis for the criticism. “It is clear that the operation undermined a fundamental principle of international law – that States must not threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state,” she said. The remark directly challenges Washington’s justification for the intervention, which cited human rights violations by the Venezuelan government.

The UN rights office added that “accountability for human rights violations cannot be achieved by unilateral military intervention in violation of international law,” emphasizing that Venezuelans deserve a “fair, victim-centred process.” The language reflects established UN doctrine that separates human rights enforcement from the use of armed force absent multilateral authorization.

Risks of Militarization

Beyond legality, the statement warned of operational consequences. Continued violations of Venezuelans’ rights, combined with the instability created by the U.S. action, could worsen conditions on the ground. The office cautioned that further militarization following the intervention could deepen social fractures rather than enable reconciliation. It called on the U.S., Venezuelan authorities, and the broader international community to ensure “full respect for international law, including human rights.”

The UN reiterated that Venezuela’s future must be decided by its people, “with full respect for their human rights, including the right to self-determination, and sovereignty over their lives and their resources.” This framing places political agency squarely with Venezuelans rather than external actors.

“States Must Not Use Force”

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk reinforced the message in a separate statement. He said the U.S. operation undermined a basic rule: “States must not use force to pursue their territorial claims or political demands.” Writing on the U.S. social media platform X, Turk added that “Venezuelan society needs healing and the country’s future must be decided by its people.”

According to the source text, Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores were captured during the U.S. operation and are now being held at the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn. On Monday, the two appeared before U.S. Judge Alvin Hellerstein in New York, where they pleaded not guilty to federal charges linked to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations. The juxtaposition of active judicial proceedings with UN legal objections highlights the widening gap between enforcement actions and international legal consensus.