By Caribbean News Global
VENEZUELA / USA – Edmundo González Urrutia remains an indisputable voice for peace and democratic change in Venezuela. His message of a democratic restoration in Venezuela has inspired the hopes and aspirations of the Venezuelan people and resulted in a powerful call for change in the July 28 presidential election, says Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State, in a press release Sunday.
“The departure from Venezuela is the direct result of the anti-democratic measures that Nicolás Maduro has unleashed on the Venezuelan people, including against González Urrutia and other opposition leaders, since the election. On July 28, the Venezuelan people overwhelmingly and unequivocally expressed their desire for democratic change. The election results and the will of the people cannot be merely swept aside by Maduro and the Venezuelan electoral authorities. We stand with González Urrutia in his call to continue the struggle for liberty and the restoration of democracy in Venezuela.”
The US Department of State press release continued: “The United States strongly condemns Maduro’s decision to use repression and intimidation to cling to power by brute force rather than acknowledge his defeat at the polls. In the past six weeks, Maduro has unjustly arrested nearly two thousand Venezuelans, used censorship and threats to silence opposition to his rule, and violated Venezuelan laws to remain in power against the will of the Venezuelan people,” adding, “we call on Maduro to cease the repression and immediately release all those unjustly detained. The United States will continue to work with our international partners to defend democratic freedoms in Venezuela and ensure Maduro and his representatives are held accountable for their actions.”
Meanwhile, a statement by the OAS General Secretariat on the forced exile of Edmundo González, references the Venezuelan authoritarian regime as ”obviously condemnable and reprehensible.”
The OAS General Secretariat statement reads: “One month and ten days after the presidential elections in Venezuela, the regime has not only failed to produce the slightest evidence of an electoral result but has forced into exile the candidate Edmundo González – who, taking into account what has happened since the date of the election, undoubtedly won the elections – based on unsubstantiated summons to the attorney general’s office and threats of imprisonment. This action by the Venezuelan authoritarian regime is obviously condemnable and reprehensible. In other words, everything has been as expected of them.”
The OAS statement explained: “A few days ago, we said that it was ridiculous to expect free, fair and transparent elections from the National Electoral Council (CNE), just as it is ridiculous to expect justice from the different actors in the Venezuelan justice system. Therefore, Edmundo González only did what was required on this occasion. Venezuela definitely does not need one more political prisoner, one more tortured person, one more victim of systematic human rights violations. We know what the regime’s prisons are like and we know the sad human nature of the chain of command of dictatorial repression.”
“In this electoral process that has not ended,” the OAS advised, “we must continue working so that the true winner of the elections of July 28 assumes the presidency of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in January of next year. The objectives that we pursue in defense of democracy and human rights must continue and our commitment must be greater the worse the circumstances are.”
Edmundo González landed at the Torrejon de Ardoz military air base in Madrid on Sunday afternoon, after fleeing Venezuela. He is now seeking asylum in Spain.
