Kathmandu: The United Nations has expressed serious concern over the military operation carried out by the United States in Venezuela, describing it as a violation of the fundamental principles of international law.

Speaking at a press conference in Geneva on Tuesday, UN Human Rights Office spokesperson Rabina Shamdasani said that no country has the right to use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another sovereign state.

According to reports, US commandos, with the support of warplanes and naval forces, took control of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores in the capital, Caracas, last Saturday.

Although the United States has justified the military action by citing alleged human rights violations in Venezuela, the United Nations has rejected this reasoning. Shamdasani stressed that accountability for human rights violations cannot be achieved through unilateral military intervention that contravenes international law.

The UN Human Rights Office has been documenting the deteriorating human rights situation in Venezuela for more than a decade. However, it warned that the current US intervention could further destabilize the country and militarize the region. The incident has reignited a global debate on state sovereignty and international intervention.