Spokesman Peter Stano called on behalf of the European Union to respect human rights and end arbitrary detentions in Venezuela. He said that while the detention of European citizens was regrettable, it was up to Spain and the Czech Republic to handle the situation.
Peter Stano, spokesman for the European Union’s High Commissioner for Foreign Affairs, said on Monday, September 16, that they are following the situation in Venezuela with concern following the announcement by the Minister of the Interior and Justice, Diosdado Cabello, of the arrest of several people – among them two Spaniards and a Czech – allegedly linked to destabilizing acts in the country.
Stano said it was “regrettable” that the administration of Nicolás Maduro had arrested European citizens but said it was up to Spain and the Czech Republic to deal with the situation.
In this regard, he reiterated the European Union’s request to the Venezuelan authorities to “respect human rights and put an end to arbitrary detentions, not only of European citizens, but also of opposition members, activists and journalists.”
*Read also: Czech Republic asks Caracas for explanations about the detained citizen
Stano’s statements come after the High Representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, expressed the last weekend that the government of Nicolás Maduro is “an authoritarian and dictatorial regime” in reference to events such as the arbitrary arrests that occurred after the presidential elections and the forced exile of the opposition presidential candidate, Edmundo González Urrutia, who is currently in Spain requesting political asylum.
In an interview with Spanish media outlet Telecinco, the head of European diplomacy also highlighted the limited action of political parties and the more than seven million Venezuelan migrants currently there, according to figures from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).
“In Venezuela, there are more than 2,000 people arbitrarily detained after the elections, the opposition leader has had to flee, political parties are subject to a thousand limitations on their actions, seven million Venezuelans have fled their country. What do you call all of that?” said Borrell.
With information from EFE / The newspaper of Extremadura
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