The president celebrates the peace established in the country after the criminal attacks against his government
AFP, Europa Press and Sputnik
The newspaper La Jornada
Wednesday, September 4, 2024, p. 28
Caracas. The United States, Brazil, Colombia, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic, Uruguay and the European Union yesterday rejected the arrest warrant issued by the Venezuelan prosecutor’s office against former opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, while the United Nations (UN) regretted the climate of fear which, he assured, exists in the Bolivarian Republic.
The head of US diplomacy for Latin America and the Caribbean, Brian Nichols, condemned this unjustified arrest warrant and stated in X: Instead of acknowledging his electoral defeat and preparing for a peaceful transition in Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro has now ordered the arrest of the democratic leader who overwhelmingly defeated him at the polls..
State Department spokesman Matthew Miller also condemned the persecution of the opposition activist.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yván Gil responded on Telegram: Nichols’ bullying attitude is a product of the transactions that are carried out in Miami. An accomplice to the criminal gang that tried to set the country on fire after losing the elections, he now throws tantrums when justice reaches the organizers of the violence and the disregard of the public powers..
The governments of Brazil and Colombia expressed in a joint statement their deep concern for the arrest warrant against Gonzalez, warning that makes it difficult to find a peaceful solution to the crisis.
This judicial measure seriously affects the commitments assumed by the Venezuelan government according to the Barbados Accords, in which the government and the opposition reaffirmed their commitment to strengthen democracy and promote a culture of tolerance and coexistence.they noted.
They did not specify whether the presidents of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, and of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, held a virtual meeting, after it was reported the day before yesterday that the Colombian president announced that both, together with his Mexican counterpart, Andrés Manuel López Obrador, would speak about the crisis in Venezuela.
For their part, Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Guatemala, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, the Dominican Republic and Uruguay issued another joint statement in which they cited several alleged crimes that are nothing more than another attempt to silence González and to ignore the will of the Venezuelan people.
The former opposition candidate has been in hiding for over a month and is wanted for crimes including disobedience of laws, conspiracy, usurpation of functions and sabotage.
The High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Policy, Josep Borrell, expressed his categorical rejection to the arrest warrant against González, who ruled out seeking asylum in any embassy; meanwhile, the UN regretted the climate of fear in Caracas, which raises fears of reprisals among part of the population.
Maduro announced the advancement of Christmas to October 1st during his television program in which he previously celebrated the peace established in the country after the criminal attacks against his government.
Human Rights Watch said Venezuelan authorities are committing human rights violations against protesters, opposition leaders and government critics following the July 28 presidential election.