A United Nations fact-finding mission has reported that Venezuela's government intensified its use of violent repression following the disputed July 28 presidential election, which has been widely criticized as undemocratic and opaque. Independent U.N. human rights experts documented severe rights violations, including arbitrary detentions, torture, and sexual and gender-based violence, particularly after the election results declared Nicolás Maduro the winner despite opposition claims of a landslide victory for Edmundo González. The report indicates that over 2,200 people were arrested, including at least 158 children, and at least 25 protesters were killed, mostly by gunshot wounds. The findings highlight the deterioration of the rule of law and the intensification of state repression against critics and opposition in Venezuela, which the U.N. experts deem as crimes against humanity. International reactions have echoed these concerns, with multiple countries refusing to recognize Maduro's presidency and the U.S. imposing new sanctions on Venezuelan officials.