Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Demands Release of EMTRASUR Plane & Crew
EMTRASUR 747-300 M. File photo.
Faría reiterated that detaining the plane is an illegal act. SURES (Studies and Defense in Human Rights) submitted a report to the UN Special Rapporteur regarding the Venezuelan plane hijacked in Argentina. ALBA-TCP echoed demands for the release of the aircraft.
Three months after the initial event, Venezuela’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Carlos Faría expressed his solidarity with the victims of the hijacking of the EMTRASUR plane, and demanded the release of the aircraft and its crew.
“To #A3MesesDelSecuestroDelAvisión from the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, we raise our voice with more force so that the crew returns home with their families, and to have our plane back,” tweeted the foreign minister. “Respect our sovereignty. We want them back.”
A #A3MesesDelSecuestroDelAvión desde la República Bolivariana de Venezuela con más fuerza elevamos nuestra voz para que la tripulación regrese a casa con sus familias y para tener de vuelta a nuestro avión. Nuestra soberanía se respeta. ¡Los queremos de vuelta! pic.twitter.com/vMCQLTKX2C
— Carlos Faria (@Fariacrt) September 6, 2022
Illegal detention
This Sunday, during an interview on Aqui con Ernesto Villegas, the Venezuelan foreign minister stated that the detention of the plane by the Argentinean authorities is an “illegal act, and there was absolutely not a single element to suspect that there was something irregular with the aircraft.”
Faría recalled that the EMTRASUR plane, in addition to conventional operations, was used for transporting COVID-19 vaccines, for transportation of equipment and medical supplies to the country, and for humanitarian missions in other nations.
EMTRASUR Boeing 747 Crew to Appear in Argentinian Court
“It is what characterizes our government—meeting all needs—and that is the main reason why they disabled and hijacked the plane,” Faría said.
Faría also emphasized that the hijacking of the EMTRASUR cargo plane was illegal because it dispossesses the country of assets and attacks the Venezuelan people.
Global solidarity
Following the detention of the plane by the Argentinean authorities, various organizations and countries around the world have shown solidarity with Venezuela, and have condemned the hijacking of the plane and its crew consisting of 14 Venezuelans and five Iranians.
The President of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro, has condemned the action as yet another tactic by the United States to destabilize Venezuela and the Bolivarian Revolution.
In this regard, the human rights organization, SURES tweeted this Tuesday, that it sent a report to the UN Special Rapporteur Alena Douhan expressing concern about the Argentinean detention of the Venezuelan plane, pointing out that the act is an attempt by the US to execute sanctions against Venezuela.
Sures envió un informe a la Relatora Especial de la ONU sobre las medidas coercitivas unilaterales, manifestando preocupación sobre la retención del avión venezolano en territorio argentino, que demuestra la ejecución de las "sanciones" impuestas por #EEUU contra #Venezuela pic.twitter.com/VvmTrytiv6
— Organización Sures (@SuresDDHH) September 6, 2022
In a similar move, the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America (ALBA-TCP), demanded this Tuesday the release of the crew of the plane of the Aerocargo del Sur Transport Company (EMTRASUR) illegally held in Argentina for three months.
“The member states of ALBA-TCP join the demand of the people and the government of Venezuela for the release of the Venezuelan crew held illegally and illegitimately by the judicial authorities of Republic of Argentina,” read the statement, tweeted by the executive secretary of the organization, Sacha Llorenti.
Los Estados miembros del @ALBATCP se suman a la exigencia del pueblo y del Gobierno de Venezuela por la liberación de la tripulación venezolana retenida en forma ilegal e ilegítima por parte de Autoridades Judiciales de la República Argentina.
— Sacha Llorenti (@SachaLlorenti) September 6, 2022
Comunicado: pic.twitter.com/aOImjcnNym
EMTRASUR case
The plane, a Boeing 747-300 M, identified with the registration number YV3531, has been held since Monday, June 6, 2022 at the Ezeiza airport, Buenos Aires. The plane belongs to the Venezuelan company EMTRASUR, a subsidiary of Conviasa.
The Argentinean justice system had detained the plane in conjunction with a right-wing enabled social media campaign. After not finding evidence of any crime, nor legal justification against the plane and its crew, the Argentinean judicial system argued that a United States court requires it to be seized, which is why the aircraft has not returned to its country of origin.
Untold Truth About EMTRASUR Plane: FBI Running the Show
According to an article published by Últimas Noticias, there remains sufficient evidence to determine that a decision by Judge Federico Villena, one that involves characters linked to former right-wing president Mauricio Macri, to seize the Venezuelan plane, was made more for political motives rather than legal ones.
(Últimas Noticias) by Janna Corredor
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/FV/SL
