CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — A U.N. report says the rule of law in Venezuela is quickly eroding as officials allow government security forces to kill citizens without any apparent consequences.

In findings released Friday, the office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights says Venezuelan officers accused in some 500 questionable killings appear to be evading any charges. The office says evidence in many cases appears to have vanished.

Chief U.N. rights official Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein says it's a sign that checks and balances have been chiseled away.

The report highlights the case of rebel police officer Oscar Perez, killed with six others in January by heavily armed police despite shouting to surrender. U.N. investigators say officers executed Perez and the others and then destroyed evidence, violating their basic rights.