This article is more than 1 year old

This article is more than 1 year old

The shadow attorney general, Shami Chakrabarti, has defended Jeremy Corbyn after the Labour leader was criticised for attacking “outside interference” against Venezuela’s socialist government.

The former director of the human rights organisation Liberty hit out at the regime of Nicolás Maduro over torture and “disappearances” of political opponents, saying it was important for leftwing politicians to be evenhanded.

But she said Corbyn was “a lifelong human rights defender” who struggled to get a fair hearing in the media.

Her comments came after the opposition leader was criticised by Brendan Cox, the widower of the murdered Labour MP Jo Cox and a former chief strategist at Save the Children, who accused Corbyn of “defending a dictator”.

Baroness Chakrabarti told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge On Sunday that she relied on “trusted sources” such as Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch regarding the oil-rich South American nation, which is in the grip of a humanitarian and political crisis.

She said: “Last year’s reporting on Venezuela was pretty damning and that is in terms of disappearances, that is in terms of crushing dissent, that is in terms of reports of torture of prisoners and political prisoners, and it is completely unacceptable.

“It is incumbent on people like me, as someone of the left, to call out governments and states of the left, because human rights have to be applied with an even hand.”

Asked about Corbyn’s response, she added: “Jeremy is a lifelong human rights defender. Sometimes it is difficult for him to cut through in the media because people just say, ‘Well you’re a socialist, just like Venezuela is’.

“He has said that you have to have the rule of law and you have to have human rights. Clearly if you match that with the reporting of Venezuela that is not happening.

“However, it would be very helpful if the United States and the UK Conservative government would … call out Venezuela but also look across the way at Honduras, where you have a US-backed government which is also crushing dissent.”

Corbyn on Friday criticised Jeremy Hunt, saying the foreign secretary was wrong to demand sanctions against the Maduro regime.

Hunt spoke on Wednesday to Juan Guaidó, the president of the national assembly of Venezuela, who is trying to oust Maduro.

The European Union on Thursday recognised Guaidó as interim president in place of Maduro, with Hunt calling for sanctions against the latter.

The US has also recognised Guaidó’s leadership.

But on Friday Corbyn tweeted: “The future of Venezuela is a matter for Venezuelans. Jeremy Hunt’s call for more sanctions on Venezuela is wrong. We oppose outside interference in Venezuela, whether from the US or anywhere else.

“There needs to be dialogue and a negotiated settlement to overcome the crisis.”

This sparked criticism from Cox, whose wife was killed in 2016. He tweeted on Saturday: “The future of Venezuela has been taken out of the hands of Venezuelans by an increasingly corrupt and totalitarian state. By all means call for dialogue but if you don’t strongly condemn the subjugation of democracy it sounds like you are defending a dictator.”

Other senior Labour frontbenchers have also criticised the pressure being put on Maduro, accusing the US of attempting “regime change”.

The shadow chancellor, John McDonnell, the shadow home secretary, Diane Abbott, and the shadow justice secretary, Richard Burgon, were among a number of leftwing politicians, union leaders and activists who signed a letter to the Observer last Sunday.