Venezuelan opposition members denounce Maduro regime siege while taking refuge at Argentine embassy

Six opposition members who took refuge at the Argentine Embassy in Caracas after being threatened by the Maduro regime say they feel safe even though the Venezuelan dictatorship has interrupted the building’s supply of electricity and water.

Former Venezuelan deputy Omar González Moreno, leader of the Vente Venezuela party, and one of the six refugees in the embassy, ​​told Radio Rivadavia in Buenos Aires this Wednesday that since the regime learned of their presence in the building, it began “a siege of the diplomatic headquarters.”

González said the decision of Argentine President Javier Milei to welcome politicians “persecuted” by Maduro's leadership was “absolutely brave.”

“We feel safe here,” he said, while relations between Venezuela and Argentina have reached their lowest point since Milei took power.

The Venezuelan opposition leader did not identify the other activists who are taking refuge the diplomatic headquarters. Meanwhile, an employee of the Argentine Foreign Ministry who was contacted by the AP agency did not want to provide their names, citing “security” reasons.

The Milei government reported that it had “hosted leaders of the Venezuelan opposition at the official residence of the Argentine embassy in Caracas,” denouncing the subsequent outage of the electricity service at the facilities.

Argentina’s decision to shelter the opponents was made in the face of “acts of harassment and persecution directed against political figures in Venezuela” after Maduro ignited an international controversy by closing the registration of candidates for the upcoming July 28 presidential elections.

The Venezuelan dictatorship confirmed this Monday that the nomination and registration of candidates was officially closed, excluding the Unity ticket, which brought the opposition together.

As a result, the unified opposition movement is now officially without a candidate for the presidential elections.

María Corina Machado cleverly found a university academic of the same name, Corina Yoris, to run in her stead so voters would not get confused, but she has also since been excluded from the ballot.