Poster reading "we demand freedom for our ambassador Alex Saab." File photo.
Given the most recent information on the state of his health, and Cape Verde’s refusal to release Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab, the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela issued a communiquĂ© demanding that Cape Verde guarantee due process. The statement reiterated the assertions that Saab was illegally detained, and that his extradition to the United States is a violation of multiple legal codes.
Below the is full unofficial translation of the communiqué:
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela desires to establish before the international community its demand to the Government of the Republic of Cape Verde to fulfill its obligation as guarantor of the fundamental right to life, physical integrity and due process of Ambassador Alex Saab, who was illegally detained on June 12, 2020, on Isla de Sal.
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Given the plans of the United States to carry out the abduction of Ambassador Alex Saab, as part of its continuous attacks on the sovereignty of our country, Venezuela calls on the authorities of Cape Verde to guarantee the integrity and security of the Venezuelan citizen under their custody.
The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela demands that Cape Verde comply with the decision adopted on June 8 by the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations, in which it instructs Cape Verde to guarantee the human rights of Ambassador Saab, including the suspension of his extradition to the United States of America.
Likewise, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela recalls the ruling of March 15 of the Court of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), which the institutions of the Republic of Cape Verde have ignored, according to which his detention was ruled as arbitrary from the outset, for which reason that high court demands his immediate release.
Finally, the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela wishes to express its hope that, despite enormous political pressure, both within and outside the Republic of Cape Verde, the honorable Constitutional Court will stand firm and do justice to our Ambassador Alex Saab. The Constitutional Court has the extraordinary opportunity to affirm to the world that it fully assumes its role as guarantor of human rights and international law, that it is a bulwark against arbitrariness and that it is a guardian of the rule of law in Cape Verde.
-Caracas, June 23, 2021
Featured image: Poster reading “we demand freedom for our ambassador Alex Saab.” File photo.
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
