Venezuela legislators approve law to regulate NGOs

Members of the National Assembly vote in favor of the bill regulating non-governmental organizations (NGOs), during an ordinary session in Caracas, Venezuela August 15, 2024. /Leonardo Fernandez Viloria

CARACAS - Venezuela's ruling party-controlled National Assembly on Thursday unanimously passed a bill allowing the government to more tightly regulate non-governmental organizations (NGOs), amid criticism of a government crackdown on the opposition after a disputed July election.

The law, which will require NGOs to report whether their donors are Venezuelan or foreign, was proposed in 2023 by Diosdado Cabello, the ruling Socialist Party's second-in-command.

The passage comes just over two weeks after the country's electoral authority declared President Nicolas Maduro the winner of the presidential election, despite vote tallies published by the opposition which show their candidate won a hearty victory.

The text of the law does not specify what happens if an NGO receives international funding.

The law warns that organizations that promote "fascism, intolerance or hatred for racial, ethnic, religious, political, social, ideological, or gender reasons" will not be allowed to register in the country.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Turk, on Tuesday urged Venezuelan authorities to not adopt "these or other laws that undermine the civic and democratic space in the country."

Following the presidential elections, NGOs and bodies such as the United Nations have raised the alarm over a wave of repression, with over 2,400 arrests and at least 23 deaths.

Human rights advocates also report that journalists and activists have had passports canceled, and warn of legal investigations against opponents and temporary bans of social networks such as X.

"In the end what they want is to repress NGOs with this bill, which forms part of the repressive wave following July 28 and seeks to definitively clamp down on civic space," said lawyer Ali Daniels, co-director of legal advocacy group Acceso a la Justicia.