Venezuela’s government has unleashed an unprecedented wave of repression following the contested re-election of Nicolas Maduro in July’s presidential election, a United Nations fact-finding mission has reported.

Independent U.N. human rights experts said in a new report Tuesday that their findings show Venezuela's government has intensified the use of “harshest and most violent" tools of repression following the disputed July presidential election.

The fact-finding mission found rights violations including arbitrary detentions, torture, sexual and gender-based violence by the country's security forces.