Within the framework of the summit of South American leaders promoted by the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, there was an act of violence carried out by the bodyguards of Nicolás Maduro at the entrance of the Itamaraty Palace, the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of that country. There, one of the guards attacked the journalists who were covering an interview that the Venezuelan president was conducting on the spot.
The attack happened on Tuesday night in the aforementioned palace located in the city of Brasilia when a group of reporters covering the event were surprised by the refusal of agents from the Institutional Security Office (GSI) to enter the site, according to reported the local media O’Globo.
between shouting and shoving, a guard punched Brazilian journalist Delis Ortiz in the chest and similarly other correspondents were pushed to prevent them from entering the room where the interview was taking place and thus be able to ask Maduro questions.
(You may be interested: Nicolás Maduró arrived in Brazil, he was invited by Lula for a meeting of leaders).
In the images that have gone viral on social networks, he realizes the attack suffered by the journalist and her colleagues when the security agent tries to control the situation violently. However, given the tumult caused, the cameras were unable to directly capture the moment of the reporter’s blow, but they did focus on the alleged attacker.
After the struggle and the information released by the press professionals, the different media outlets in that country repudiated what had happened and expressed their solidarity with the people attacked.
Meanwhile, from the Government of Brazil, the Ministry of Foreign Relations also condemned the attacks through a statement: “The Foreign Ministry regrets the incident in which there was aggression against press professionals, at the end of the meeting of presidents of South America. Proceedings will be taken to determine responsibilities.”
(Be sure to read: Unasur “is subservient to the Maduro dictatorship”: Iván Duque reacted to Petro’s announcement).
The violent incident occurs amid questions about the presence of the controversial president of Venezuela and after the criticism of Luis Lacalle Pou and Gabriel Boric (presidents of Uruguay and Chile) towards the president, whose government is accused of violating the Human Rights of the Venezuelan population.
Earlier, Lula da Silva received his South American counterparts one by one in Brasilia for the “retreat” with a view to rebuilding dialogue and regional integration. One of them was Nicolás Maduro.
Venezuela and the summit of presidents in Brazil
Hugo Chávez’s successor visited Brazil this week for the first time in eight years, after being banned by far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), amid the policy of international isolation led by the United States by questioning the legitimacy of Maduro’s re-election in 2018.
The application of sanctions against the oil country and the continuous denunciations of human rights violations also eroded Caracas’ relations with its neighbors.
But since he returned to power in January, Lula has tried to rebuild ties with his northern neighbor and yesterday he was very clear with his message. “It is the beginning of Maduro’s return” to the regional level, and the meeting with the other leaders will be “the return of the integration of South America,” Lula said on Monday, defining the moment as “historic.”
(We recommend reading: This was Gustavo Petro’s first day in Brazil).
For his part, Argentine President Alberto Fernández also strengthened relations with Maduro in the first meeting between the two since they were in command of their countries. The President asked his counterpart from Venezuela to “return” to the regional organizations and to strengthen the ties in South America.
“I met with the president of Venezuela, @NicolasMaduro, to continue advancing in the construction of a united Latin America that defends democratic processes, human rights and the freedom of peoples,” wrote the national head of state in his official account. Twitter.
THE NATION (ARGENTINA) / GDA
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