International
Venezuelan President receives diplomat Alex Saab after his release from prison
December 21 |
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro received on Wednesday diplomat Alex Saab, who was released after more than 1,280 days kidnapped in the United States (US).
The meeting is held at the Miraflores Palace, seat of the Government, in Caracas (capital), after the diplomat arrived in the country at the International Airport of Maiquetía Simón Bolívar, in the state of La Guaira, being received by the first combatant and deputy of the National Assembly, Cilia Flores, along with the diplomat’s wife, Camila Fabri, and other family members.
After receiving the diplomat, the President declared that “the only truth is that Alex Saab’s only crime was to overcome criminal sanctions, to look for medicines in times of pandemic”.
“I want to welcome this brave man, patriot, who resisted 1,280 days, 40 months, the most adverse conditions, the most painful, of kidnapping, filthy jails, physical torture, psychological torture, threats, lies; and after 1,280 days of kidnapping, the truth has triumphed, justice has triumphed”, he highlighted.
The Head of State said that he knew that “this day had to come, and this day has arrived”; he also thanked the efforts made by the President of the National Assembly (AN), Jorge Rodríguez, as well as the Governor of Miranda State, Héctor Rodríguez, “who have led this whole process that has allowed this exchange today with the Government of the United States of America, and the safe, alive and free rescue of Alex Saab Morán”.
“All the medicines that you were looking for Alex, arrived to the people; all the vaccines, arrived to the people. While you were kidnapped and tortured in Cape Verde, infamous Cape Verde, all those vaccines and medicines arrived. When that tremendous crisis due to the blockade, all the gasoline that you got in the world, arrived; all the food for the CLAP, arrived while you were kidnapped, Alex. All this arrived for a dignified people”, the President emphasized.
President Maduro also thanked “the negotiation part, Dr. Gerardo Blyde, and all the negotiation commission of the Barbados table, because they have also been part of the Barbados agreements and of this exchange that has taken place today”.
“I would like to thank in a very special way the Emir of Qatar, the State of Qatar, the Government of Qatar, because it has been a brilliant facilitator, of exquisite diplomacy for the rapprochement, for the dialogues, for the signing of the agreements, and for the partial fulfillment of the signed agreements (…) I am very grateful to all those who have contributed for this agreement to be fulfilled, for this positive step to be taken, for this exchange to take place”, he declared.
The President indicated to his US counterpart, Joe Biden, as well as to the politicians of that country, that “here is Venezuela standing up, with its own model, independent, sovereign, we will be nobody’s colony”. Likewise, he explained that they had previously talked with former President Donald Trump for the release of Saab, “we almost had it ready, what happened is that he lost the elections and there was a change of government, then we had to start all over again, but with Donald Trump we already had an agreement ready”.
On his part, diplomat Saab stated that “life is a constant miracle and today the miracle of freedom, the miracle of justice, has come true”, and thanked those who supported him during his kidnapping.
Thanks to the people of Venezuela. I am proud to serve the people of Venezuela and to serve this Government, a humane Government, a loyal Government, a Government that does not abandon and a Government that, like me, never gives up.
Previously, the Venezuelan Government informed in a communiqué, published by the Vice President of Communication, Culture and Tourism, Freddy Ñáñez, in which it is emphasized that “the people receive him with pride after having suffered three and a half years of illegal detention under cruel, inhuman and degrading treatment, violating his human rights and the Vienna Convention that confers diplomatic immunity”.
At the time, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry denounced the arbitrary detention of diplomat Saab in Cape Verde, on June 12, 2020, and his illegal transfer to the U.S., on October 16, 2021.
“At the time of his illegal capture, Saab was traveling to Iran as a diplomatic agent of the Venezuelan State, in order to facilitate the acquisition of food in view of the impact of the Unilateral Coercive Measures (MCU) against the Local Supply and Production Committees (Clap), a mechanism of articulation with the communities that distributes food to more than 7 million families,” the Foreign Ministry explained.
International
Trump urges Putin to reach peace deal
On Monday, U.S. President Donald Trump reiterated his desire for Russian President Vladimir Putin to “reach a deal” to end the war in Ukraine, while also reaffirming his willingness to impose sanctions on Russia.
“I want to see him reach an agreement to prevent Russian, Ukrainian, and other people from dying,” Trump stated during a press conference in the Oval Office at the White House.
“I think he will. I don’t want to have to impose secondary tariffs on Russian oil,” the Republican leader added, recalling that he had already taken similar measures against Venezuela by sanctioning buyers of the South American country’s crude oil.
Trump also reiterated his frustration over Ukraine’s resistance to an agreement that would allow the United States to exploit natural resources in the country—a condition he set in negotiations to end the war.
International
Deportation flight lands in Venezuela; government denies criminal gang links
A flight carrying 175 Venezuelan migrants deported from the United States arrived in Caracas on Sunday. This marks the third group to return since repatriation flights resumed a week ago, and among them is an alleged member of a criminal organization, according to Venezuelan authorities.
Unlike previous flights operated by the Venezuelan state airline Conviasa, this time, an aircraft from the U.S. airline Eastern landed at Maiquetía Airport, on the outskirts of Caracas, shortly after 2:00 p.m. with the deportees.
Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, who welcomed the returnees at the airport, stated that the 175 repatriated individuals were coming back “after being subjected, like all Venezuelans, to persecution” and dismissed claims that they belonged to the criminal organization El Tren de Aragua.
However, Cabello confirmed that “for the first time in these flights we have been carrying out, someone of significance wanted by Venezuelan justice has arrived, and he is not from El Tren de Aragua.” Instead, he belongs to a gang operating in the state of Trujillo. The minister did not disclose the individual’s identity or provide details on where he would be taken.
International
Son of journalist José Rubén Zamora condemns father’s return to prison as “illegal”
The son of renowned journalist José Rubén Zamora Marroquín, José Carlos Zamora, has denounced as “illegal” the court order that sent his father back to a Guatemalan prison on March 3, after already spending 819 days behind barsover a highly irregular money laundering case.
“My father’s return to prison was based on an arbitrary and illegal ruling. It is also alarming that the judge who had granted him house arrest received threats,” José Carlos Zamora told EFE in an interview on Saturday.
The 67-year-old journalist was sent back to prison inside the Mariscal Zavala military barracks on March 3, when Judge Erick García upheld a Court of Appeals ruling that overturned the house arrest granted to him in October. Zamora had already spent 819 days in prison over an alleged money laundering case.
His son condemned the situation as “unacceptable”, stating that the judge handling the case “cannot do his job in accordance with the law due to threats against his life.”
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