At least ten countries in the region on Tuesday condemned the arrest warrant against former Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, calling it “dictatorial practices.”
“The arrest warrant cites several alleged crimes that are nothing more than another attempt to silence Mr. González, ignore the will of the Venezuelan people, and constitute political persecution,” warned a joint statement from Argentina, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Paraguay, Peru and the Dominican Republic.
At the request of the Public Prosecutor’s Office (MP), a court issued an arrest warrant against the 75-year-old retired ambassador for publishing the minutes kept by his polling station witnesses after the July 28 presidential elections.
The prosecution is investigating him for the alleged commission of the crimes of “usurpation of functions, forgery of public documents, instigation to disobedience of laws, conspiracy, sabotage to damage systems and association.”
In the joint statement, the countries insisted that in Venezuela “there is no separation of powers nor minimum judicial guarantees,” where arbitrary detentions abound.
“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,” the text states.
Ecuador, for its part, said that the crimes González Urrutia is accused of show “political persecution.” Chile also condemned the order and any form of repression.
Brian Nichols, US Assistant Secretary of State for Western Hemisphere Affairs, said the arrest warrant was “unjustified” and that instead of acknowledging his electoral “defeat,” Maduro “has ordered” González Urrutia’s arrest.
Josep Borrell, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Affairs, urged the Venezuelan authorities to respect the freedom, integrity and human rights of González Urrutia.
“Enough of the repression and harassment of the opposition and civil society. The will of the Venezuelan people must be respected,” he stressed in X.
Last month, several countries also rejected the ruling of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), considered an arm of the Executive Branch, which validated the results of the elections, after President Nicolás Maduro, proclaimed by the electoral authority for a third term, introduced an appeal questioned by jurists who claim it does not exist in the Venezuelan legal framework.
More than a month after the presidential elections, the National Electoral Council (CNE) has not published the detailed results, despite the insistence of the international community and allegations of fraud.
The opposition has warned of an increase in persecution and repression of dissidents, following protests against the election results that left 27 dead and more than 2,000 arrested.
#countries #condemn #arrest #warrant #Venezuelan #opposition #leader #Edmundo #González #Diario #Página
