Venezuelan governor says human rights respected in deportations of Colombians

The deportation of over 1,000 undocumented Colombians from Venezuela's border state of Tachira had been carried out with full respect for their human rights, state governor Jose Gregorio Vielma Mora said Friday.

"There was no violation of human rights. None of them were injured or killed, none of them were hit, tortured, or humiliated. Everything was done within the spirit of human rights," the governor told local media.

Local authorities also said that the current situation along the border with Colombia was "totally normal" and that the deportation of people illegally living in the area had been "respectful and effective, while guaranteeing their physical safety."

Vielma Mora slammed the "manipulation" by Colombia and some international press which sought to "anger the people and distort real information."

His comments came shortly before Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced on Friday the decision to close off more of the Venezuela-Colombia border, saying border crossings would be stopped starting Saturday in the towns of Lobatera, Panamericana, Ayacucho, Colon, La Fria, Coloncito and San Juan de Colon.

Maduro added that 3,000 soldiers would be mobilized to these municipalities to root out any paramilitary elements operating there.

On Thursday, Vielma Mora criticized some Colombian reporters for crossing the river Tachira to take pictures of the Venezuelan security barrier, which he called "a flagrant violation of our territory".

Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos, however, called the situation "a humanitarian crisis", saying on Thursday that Venezuela had denied entry to a Colombian human rights envoy who was seeking to investigate the conditions in which the deportations took place.

Colombian Minister of Foreign Affairs Maria Angela Holguin said that the deported Colombians had been kicked out of their homes without warning and without being allowed to take their belongings. Endi