Venezuela’s top opposition leaders are calling on the international community to pressure Nicolás Maduro’s government over what it claims is an ongoing “siege” at Argentina’s Embassy in Caracas.
Opposition leaders María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia on Wednesday called for a response from the diplomatic community accredited in Venezuela, saying five political figures who have been sheltering in Argentina’s Embassy since last year are facing increasing problems.
The individuals – all associates of Machado who sought asylum from Argentina last March – have been without electricity and water since November. Meanwhile, the Embassy residence’s power generator is on the verge of collapse, warned the leaders.
The "Embassy siege" is "an event that, under normal circumstances, would be condemned by the entire international community, or at least by the diplomatic community in Venezuela," said González Urrutia in an interview aired on Instagram Wednesday.
"In Venezuela, the diplomatic community must reject these measures," continued González Urrutia, who fled Venezuela under an arrest warrant after claiming victory in last July presidential elections and has denounced widespread fraud in the vote.
"They have a duty, they have a duty," added Machado, who remains in hiding but also joined the interview. "I ask you, in these critical hours, to raise your voices for our comrades in the Embassy ... because this is an emergency."
Initially, six people had taken refuge in Argentina’s Embassy. Back in December, one of them, Fernando Martínez Mottola, surrendered to the authorities. He has since been released on bail, with conditions. The rest have remained in asylum at the diplomatic building since March 20, 2024.
The Embassy has been without diplomatic staff since last August. Venezuela severed diplomatic relations with Argentina in response to President Javier Milei’s government questioning of Nicolás Maduro’s contested re-election.
Venezuela’s influential Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello has denied the existence of a “siege” and claims that the cuts in utilities are down to non-payment.
Brazil announced in August that it would assume custody of Argentina’s diplomatic mission with Caracas’ permission, but a month later, the Venezuelan government revoked its decision.
Nevertheless, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s administration in Brasília has insisted that it will continue to defend its neighbour’s interests, despite his own diplomatic clashes with Milei.
Tensions between Buenos Aires and Caracas have escalated further following last year’s arrest of an Argentine security officer in Venezuela.
Nahuel Agustín Gallo, a member of Argentina’s Gendarmerie, has been accused of "terrorism." He denies the allegation. His family and the Milei administration have called for his urgent release.
– TIMES/AFP
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