Law to control and sanction NGOs was published in Gaceta

The Law on Supervision, Regularization, Performance and Financing of Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Non-Profit Social Organizationswhich has been rejected by international organizations, was published this week in the Official Gazette No. 6,855.

The Law, which has 39 articles, three transitional provisions and one repealing and was approved on August 15 by the National Assembly, with a Chavista majority, seeks to impose more requirements for the operation and creation of NGOs in Venezuelaand non-compliance is subject to strong sanctions, including ex officio dissolution.

What are the most controversial points of the law against NGOs?

NGOs, according to the new law, must annually deliver their books and records, in addition to periodically report the financing or donations they receive.

To organizations They are prohibited from receiving financial contributions intended for organizations with political purposes or making contributions to parties, as well as the promotion of fascism or incitement to hatred or any other act prohibited in the legal system.

The NGO law also confers powers to the national Executive, established in article 13, especially the power to implement control mechanisms that allow monitoring and sanctioning deviations by subjects that compromise national sovereignty.

Chilean lawyer Francisco Cox, one of the experts of the Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela, stated that this exposes the organizations to permanent surveillance even through possible police or intelligence control.

Without access to international cooperation funds, many of these organizations will inevitably disappear, the mission warned at the time.

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