In the early morning of January 4, on Telesur television, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez gave an official speech on behalf of the government regarding the arrest of President Nicolas Maduro by US forces.
In her speech, Ms. Rodriguez focused on the legal aspect and national sovereignty. She emphasized that Mr. Nicolas Maduro is the constitutional President of Venezuela, elected in accordance with the provisions of the Constitution. This statement aims to directly reject the legal basis that the US has put forward when considering Mr. Maduro as a wanted criminal.
The Venezuelan government representative stated the request: "We demand the immediate release of President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores. They need to be guaranteed safety and returned to their homeland.
The use of the phrase "returning to the homeland" implies that Caracas does not recognize the jurisdiction of the courts in New York and considers the transfer of Mr. Maduro to the United States to be legally invalid.
Caracas described the US military campaign as an unprecedented act of intervention targeting an incumbent head of state. Ms. Rodriguez argued that this action violated basic diplomatic rules and the immunity of senior leaders under international law.
The Venezuelan government called on the United Nations and the international community to consider the matter from the perspective of respecting the sovereignty of an independent nation, instead of just seeing it as a criminal case against drug crime as Washington described.
The above statement was made in the context of the complicated political situation in Caracas.
After Mr. Maduro was removed from Venezuelan territory, Ms. Rodriguez was appointed by the Venezuelan Supreme Court to hold the role of interim President.
