Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro delivers a speech during a rally celebrating the results of the recent presidential elections in Caracas, Venezuela. File photo | Photo credit: REUTERS
The Venezuelan government has said Brazil can no longer represent Argentina’s diplomatic interests in the country, endangering several anti-government opponents who have holed up in the Argentine ambassador’s residence for months and are seeking asylum.
The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Saturday that it had informed Brazil of its decision, which will take effect immediately. It said it was forced to take action based on what it called evidence – which it did not share – that those who took refuge in the Argentine diplomatic mission conspired to carry out “terrorist” acts, including the assassination of President Nicolas Maduro and his colleagues. vice president.
The move on September 7 is the latest outbreak of friction between the countries. The Argentine president was among those leading the charge against Maduro for alleged attempts to steal the July presidential election. Electoral authorities declared Maduro the winner despite strong evidence gathered by the opposition at the polls that the opposition prevailed by a margin of more than 2 to 1. Since the election, thousands of people have been arrested in a brutal crackdown.
Magalli Meda, the former campaign manager of opposition leader María Corina Machado, was among a half-dozen government opponents who fled to the Argentine ambassador’s residence after Maduro’s chief prosecutor issued a warrant for her arrest in March for allegedly promoting destabilizing policies violence.
In retaliation, Maduro broke off diplomatic ties with the right-wing government of Argentine President Javier Milei, who appealed to neighboring Brazil to represent his interests and protect asylum seekers.
Brazil’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement it was “surprised” by Venezuela’s decision. Under the Vienna Convention governing diplomatic relations, Argentina must now appoint an alternate custodian acceptable to the Venezuelan government, the Foreign Ministry said. Meanwhile, Brazil remains responsible for the diplomatic mission, whose physical integrity cannot be violated, the statement said.
Since Friday, armored vehicles of SEBIN’s political police have been parked outside the Argentine ambassador’s residence in a leafy neighborhood in Caracas. Electricity to the diplomatic mission was also cut, said Meda, who took to social media to denounce what she says is an impending raid to arrest her and other government opponents.
On Saturday, Milei’s government denounced Venezuela’s “unilateral action”. The country also expressed its gratitude for Brazil’s continued representation of its interests, indicating it was in no rush to find a replacement.
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said any attempt to invade his ambassadorial residence and “kidnap” his asylum seekers would be condemned by the international community.
“These types of actions reinforce the belief that fundamental human rights are not respected in Maduro’s Venezuela,” the Foreign Ministry said.
Brazil has also refused to recognize Maduro as the winner of the presidential election and instead demanded that authorities release a summary of the results, as is customary in Venezuelan elections.
But unlike Milei, a fierce conservative ideologue, President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been careful not to antagonize Maduro, creating space for a regional reconciliation effort led by him and fellow left-wing leaders from Colombia and Mexico.
That diplomatic effort has yielded little results so far, leading observers to question its usefulness. Meanwhile, police have arrested more than 2,400 people in a brutal crackdown on protests and dissent.
This past week, Human Rights Watch released a report linking security forces and pro-government armed groups to the killings of several of the 23 protesters. The report was based on forensic analysis of videos shared on social media, as well as interviews with witnesses. (
Published – Sep 8, 2024 05:15 IST
