Flags of Nicaragua and Venezuela. File photo.
On Monday, the Venezuelan government issued a statement strongly condemning the legal action brought against Nicaragua by Argentinian judge Ariel Lijo. The judge has issue an arrest warrant for the president of Nicaragua, Daniel Ortega, Vice President Rosario Murillo, and other officials in what is clearly a lawfare operation.
The officials stand accused of “human rights violations.” It is not clear how Argentina can claim to have jurisdiction over any of these alleged crimes.
In a statement, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the actions taken by the Argentinian magistrate as “illegal and illegitimate” while emphasizing that it is a “ridiculous action, based on falsehoods by agents aligned with Western hegemony and anti-Sandinista opposition groups.” The action, declared the ministry, “demonstrates the political use of the Argentinian judicial system as an instrument of [foreign] intervention.”
“Such aggression is part of a systematic strategy that seeks to undermine the sovereignty of independent states and justify the imposition of unilateral coercive measures in the name of alleged human rights principles,” said the document, which was released on the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry’s social media accounts.
In this regard, Venezuela repudiates the use of the principle of universal jurisdiction for political purposes, as it is “a maneuver that violates the fundamental principles of sovereignty and non-interference in the internal affairs of states enshrined in international law.”
The Foreign Ministry also reiterated Venezuela’s commitment to the Nicaraguan people and government in their struggle to defend sovereignty, social justice, and self-determination.
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“We raise our voice alongside the free nations of the world to reject any attempt at intervention disguised as legality,” the statement reads.
Argentinian lawyer Darío Richarte, promoter of a trial against President Daniel Ortega, announced on social media that, after nearly two and a half years of investigation, Judge Ariel Lijo issued an international arrest warrant against the Nicaraguan president, Vice President Rosario Murillo, and officials of the government of that nation for alleged human rights violations.
(Telesur) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
