"We, the Alianza Regional por la Libre Expresión e Información, Civicus, IFEX-ALC and Voces del Sur (Southern Voices), call once again for rejection of a legislative initiative that would enable criminalisation of legitimate Venezuelan civil society activities and organisations. These organisations must be protected under the right to freedom of association, which represents a key element in guaranteeing healthy civic space and discourse.
[...]
The legislative initiative grants the Executive Branch faculties to supervise, inspect, control and penalise organisations and their affiliates via legislative and oversight powers. These powers subject non-governmental organisations to the discretionary interests of the ruling government, violating their independence and autonomy."
