The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luis Almagroannounced that it will request the International Criminal Court (ICC) to order the arrest of the president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro for committing a “bloodbath” against protesters following Sunday’s elections.
The request comes after a motion demanding the disclosure of the electoral records failed on Wednesday in an extraordinary session of the Permanent Council of the OAS celebrated in Washington. There, Almagro said that “it is time for justice and we are going to request the imposition of charges with an arrest warrant”; and he invited the Member States to join the request.
The Secretary General said that “taking into account” the investigation being carried out by the ICC Prosecutor’s Office into alleged Crimes against humanity committed in Venezuela Since 2014, “the time has come to bring charges against those most responsible, including Maduro.”
According to Almagro, the Venezuelan president has been in charge of directing the instruction for the implementation of the repression” against his people: “Maduro announced a bloodbath and he is fulfilling it,” said the Uruguayan politician, referring to the 17 protesters killed in the protests that broke out since the release of the election results that declared the successor of Hugo Chavez for a third consecutive term.
The comment of the Secretary General of the OAS He pointed to the fact that Maduro said before the elections, during an electoral event, that Venezuela could fall into a “bloodbath, into a civil war” if he did not win the election. “It was something that impressed me when he said it, but it impresses me even more when he is doing it,” Almagro said.
Uruguay’s critical stance
The chancellor Omar Paganini reinforced against the OAS the condemnatory stance of Uruguay on the development of the elections in Venezuela and said the body “should feel ashamed” of the failure of the motion to reveal the voting records.
“We cannot understand how we were unable to pass a very clear motion on this issue, perfectly suited to this situation. This body should feel ashamed for not having achieved this,” he said. Paganini during his speech before the Permanent Council of the OAS for the irregularities in the Caribbean country.
The speech was given during the extraordinary session held in Washington; and the text had 17 votes in favor, none against, 11 abstentions (among them Brazil, Colombia and Mexico) and 5 absences, so it did not achieve the support of the absolute majority to be approved.
The speech was recognized via social networks by the opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, She praised the words and wrote: “Your message reaches the heart of every Venezuelan who is fighting today for the truth to be respected and who will not give up until they achieve it.” “We won and we will claim victory, with the support of the democratic nations of the region and the world,” said the historic anti-Chavez leader.
Source: Ambito
