Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab during a press conference on Monday, March 31, 2025. Photo: Correo del Orinoco.
On Monday, March 31, the Attorney General of Venezuela, Tarek William Saab, requested a ruling from the Supreme Court of Justice of El Salvador regarding the habeas corpus petition filed a week ago by Salvadoran lawyers representing hundreds of Venezuelan migrants abducted in El Savador since March 16 by the regimes of Donald Trump and Nayib Bukele.
“They cannot ignore it,” stated AG Saab. “As attorney general of the Republic, I demand a ruling from the Supreme Court regarding this habeas corpus. They cannot shelve it because it is already public, well-known, and widely publicized that this habeas corpus was filed. They cannot say it does not exist, because I have heard that they are trying to say it does not exist so they can keep it on ice for life.”
From the headquarters of the Public Ministry (MP) in Caracas, where he received relatives of the abducted victims, AG Saab emphasized that El Salvador’s government cannot deny the existence of habeas corpus because if it does, “they are once again violating the Salvadoran Constitution and the international treaties that govern this matter, which are international human rights treaties.”
He also announced that Venezuela’s Public Ministry sent a formal communication to the Supreme Court of El Salvador “expressing our deep concern and requesting detailed information on the situation of our fellow citizens.”
What is a habeas corpus petition?
This legal principle guarantees the right of an individual to appear immediately and publicly before a judge to determine whether an arrest was legal or not and whether it should be continued or discontinued.
The habeas corpus procedure seeks to protect citizens from detention that may not be legal, that is, to prevent a detention from occurring or being prolonged if there is no legal reason to justify it, according to legal experts.
The habeas corpus petition filed by El Salvador’s Grupo Ortega Law Firm “requests the Salvadoran Constitutional Chamber, as the highest court in constitutional interpretation, to order the immediate release of the detained Venezuelan migrants or, failing that, to guarantee a fair and transparent legal process that respects their rights and prompt release and repatriation. The law firm makes a respectful and respectable call to the legally constituted Salvadoran authorities to guarantee respect for the human rights of migrants and to enforce international obligations regarding the protection of refugees and asylum seekers,” according to a copy of the legal document shared by Telesur.
None of those abducted have an Interpol red notice
The Attorney General announced that none of the kidnapped individuals “are on the list of arrest warrants that the Public Ministry has issued with a red notice for Interpol.”
Crimes against humanity
AG Saab, who has extensive experience as a human rights defender, described the deportations of Venezuelans from the United States to El Salvador as crimes against humanity.
He argued that the actions carried out by the US and El Salvadoran regimes against fellow Venezuelan citizens represent an absolute violation of the Rome Statute and of the UN International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.
“El Salvador signed the Rome Statute; therefore, it is violating it, since they are being detained and deported for being Venezuelans,” stated Saab. “Second, they have suffered cruel and degrading treatment; third, they have been illegally deprived of their liberty.”
Migrant Repatriation Continues: 175 People Return to Venezuela From the US
Another 15 Venezuelans sent to El Salvador
Saab also announced that early Monday morning, March 31, another 15 compatriots had been abducted and sent to El Salvador.
“They just announced a few hours ago that they have sent approximately 15 more people to El Salvador,” Saab said, noting that these constitute “forced disappearances,” in a sense, because the families of these individuals in question have no information about them.
On Sunday night, according to US officials, the US Army, “in a successful counter-terrorism operation with our allies in El Salvador,” transferred “a group of 17 violent criminals from the Tren de Aragua and MS-13 organizations, including murderers and rapists,” to El Salvador.
(Diario VEA) by Yuleidys Hernández Toledo
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
