Venezuelan government urged the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights chief Michelle Bachelet to intervene against the U.S. trade and financial sanctions which are undermining Venezuela’s economy on Friday.

Venezuelan Vice Foreign Minister William Castillo said, “The sanctions met the body’s definition of “unilateral coercive measures” and should be lifted, While addressing a session of the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva, Switzerland.

Castillo further said, “In keeping with the UN’s resolutions on unilateral coercive measures, (we) demand the immediate end to the blockade,”.

“The sanctions have crippled Venezuela’s ability to refinance its foreign debt and maintain trade ties with other countries”, he added.

Venezuela Foreign ministry appreciates, “the recognition by the High Commissioner for Human Rights that the US economic sanctions aggravate the economic crisis and violate human rights”, according to an official.

However, Venezuela disagrees with several conclusions in a report released on Thursday by Bachelet’s office following her recent visit there, and “demands a correction”, said Castillo.

On Thursday, there was a report which has been issued by UN human rights chief Michelle Bachelet accused the Venezuela government of using a strategy of instilling fear in its population to retain power and removing opponents with a “shocking” number of alleged extrajudicial killings.

“The killings were part of a strategy by the government of President Nicolas Maduro aimed at “neutralizing, repressing and criminalizing political opponents and people critical of the government”, which accelerated since 2016,” the report said.

However, Venezuela’s government slammed the report as “distorted and biased”, the BBC reported.

Castillo also said, “In Venezuela, there is no humanitarian crisis. We are suffering economic difficulties linked to the fall in oil prices and the economic blockade,”

Venezuela is also the victim of attempted coups, assassination plots and sabotage of key industries, such as oil and electricity, he further added.

Castillo’s demand came as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro presided over a military parade marking Venezuela’s Independence Day, at which he affirmed that “we are on the right side of history.”