8 countries condemn arrest warrant against Maduro opponent

Eight Latin American countries have condemned the arrest warrant issued by the Venezuelan courts against Edmundo González (Democratic Unitary Platform, center-right), opposition candidate in the presidential elections on July 28.

In joint statement released this Tuesday (September 3, 2024), Argentina, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic and Uruguay expressed their repudiation of the measure.

The nations also stated in the document that the crimes presented against González are an attempt to silence him, “ignoring the Venezuelan popular will and constituting political persecution”.

“In a country where there is no separation of powers or minimum judicial guarantees and where arbitrary detentions are rife, we condemn these dictatorial practices and our efforts will be firm and continuous to demand that the Venezuelan authorities guarantee the life, integrity and freedom of Edmundo González Urrutia”they said.

The Chilean government also spoke out about the measure. In statementthe Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs rejected “vehemently” the arrest warrant and condemned any form of repression against opponents of the Nicolás Maduro regime (United Socialist Party of Venezuela, left).

“The Chilean government demands respect for democratic principles, as well as human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Venezuelans”he stated.

REMEMBER THE CASE

On Monday (2.Sep), the Venezuelan Justice Department ordered the arrest of Edmundo González after he failed to comply with 3 subpoenas from the Public Ministry to clarify the publication of electoral records.

The documents were used by the opposition to claim González’s victory in the presidential election. The opposition did not respond to the requests, claiming “lack of guarantees” to your safety.

He has not been seen in public since July 30, when he attended a demonstration with supporters demanding recognition of his victory in the election. To preserve his integrity, González has remained in hiding since then.

The diplomat is accused by the Public Prosecutor’s Office of:

• usurpation of functions;
• forgery of public document;
• incitement to disobey Venezuelan laws;
• computer crimes; and
• criminal association and conspiracy.

VENEZUELA UNDER MADURO

Venezuela lives under an autocracy led by Nicholas Mature61 years old. There is no freedom of the press. People can be arrested for “political crimes”. OAS published notice in May 2021 (PDF – 179 kB) regarding the “illegitimate appointment” of the National Electoral Council. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights reported abuses in October 2022 (PDF – 150 kB), November 2022 (PDF – 161 kB) and March 2023 (PDF – 151 kB). Report from Human Rights Watch disclosed in 2023 (PDF – 5 MB) states that 7.1 million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2014.

Maduro denies that the country is under a dictatorship. He says that there are regular elections and that the opposition simply cannot win.

The presidential elections carried out on July 28, 2024 are contested by part of the international community. The main opposition leader, Maria Corina, was prevented in June 2023 to hold public office for 15 years. The Venezuelan Supreme confirmed the decision in January 2024. He claimed “administrative irregularities” that were allegedly committed when she was a deputy, from 2011 to 2014, and by “corruption plot” for supporting Juan Guaidó.

Corina indicated the ally Corina Yoris to compete. However, Yoris was unable to formalize the application because of an alleged failure in the electoral system. The diplomat Edmund Gonzalez assumed the role of being the main opposition candidate.

The government-controlled National Electoral Council of Venezuela, announced on July 28, 2024 Maduro’s victory. The body confirmed the result on August 2, 2024, but did not release the ballots. The Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice, controlled by the current regime, said on August 22, 2024 that the ballots will not be released.

The Carter Center, a respected organization created by former US President USA Jimmy Carter, considered that the elections in Venezuela “were not democratic”. Read the full (in English – PDF – 107 kB) of the statement.

The results have been repeatedly contested by the European Union and several individual countries, including the United States, Mexico, Argentina, Costa Rica, Chile, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay.

Brazil has not yet recognized Maduro’s election in 2024, but it has not made harsher demands like other countries that point to fraud in the process. The president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) even said he had not seen anything abnormal in the country’s election.

Human Rights Watch criticized Presidents Lula, Gustavo Petro (Colombia) and Andrés Manuel López Obrador (Mexico) in August 2024. In a letter sent to the three, they stated that they needed to reconsider their positions on Venezuela and criticized the leaders’ proposals to resolve the impasse, such as a new election and a general amnesty. Read the full of the document (PDF – 2 MB).