Camilla Fabri during an interview in Telesur on Monday, May 30. Photo: Twitter/@Lunita41.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with Telesur on May 30, Camilla Fabri, the wife of Alex Saab, the Venezuelan diplomat abducted by the US, said that the persecution of her husband is politically motivated.
“This is a political case, rigged and without legal support,” said Fabri. “They (Washington) used Cape Verde as a puppet to accomplish what they wanted to do.” Fabri noted that the White House knew of Saab’s previous diplomatic missions, referring to the book recently published by former US Secretary of Defense Mark Esper, A Sacred Oath.
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Quoting Esper, who was part of the Trump administration, Fabri showed how the US knew that Saab was carrying out humanitarian missions to procure food and medicine for Venezuelan citizens, while the South American country battled the illegal sanctions regime applied by the US and its allies.
https://youtu.be/6jewoNd8NB4
“Esper knew that Saab was doing humanitarian missions in Iran and that he had been appointed as a diplomat in 2018, two years before his kidnapping,” Fabri explained. “According to his book, Saab was considered a very important piece for the US.”
Although Esper’s revelations show that the White House was aware of Saab’s diplomatic status as early as 2018, and although this diplomatic status was conferred by Venezuela’s government and not by the White House, US courts claim that they are currently in the process of determining Saab’s diplomatic status
Fabri explained that her husband has been the victim of lies: “Alex (Saab) was appointed as diplomat prior to his kidnapping on June 12, 2020. When he was kidnapped, he had already carried out three humanitarian missions.”
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“Under the direction of President Maduro, Saab was on a mission to negotiate with Iran so that Venezuela would receive more fuel, food, and medical supplies,” Fabri said.
“The defense is [focused] on Venezuela’s sovereignty and on respect for the regulations of international diplomacy,” said Saab in the interview. “We find ourselves with a political and illogical case.”
As a result of the coercive and unilateral measures that the US imposes on Venezuela, the constitutional government of Nicolás Maduro was prevented from accessing international markets to import much-needed food and medicine, and prevented from accessing its own assets held in financial institutions abroad. In addition, the economic blockade prevented Venezuela from negotiating debts held by foreign banks or entities.
Under international law, Saab’s diplomatic status conferred him immunity from prosecution or arrest under a host country’s laws, and ensured his safe passage. Therefore, both his arrest by Cape Verde and his subsequent abduction by US authorities were violations of the regulations that govern international diplomacy.
(Telesur) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE
