President of Colombia calls for release of 12 Colombians arrested in Venezuela

Colombian President Gustavo Petro asked Venezuelan authorities to release 12 Colombian citizens who he said were detained during the July 28, 2024 presidential election. The request was criticized by Venezuela’s Attorney General Tarek William Saab, who asked Petro to take care of Colombia’s affairs.

Petro addressed the issue on Thursday (16) through a social media post, in which he celebrated the release of the director of the non-governmental organization Espacio Público, Carlos Correa — whose arrest he had previously criticized.

“It is important for peace in the Americas that Venezuela releases all people detained in the context of the elections and post-elections, including the 12 Colombians detained in its territory,” he wrote, but did not identify who they were or what they are accused of.

The Venezuelan prosecutor responded hours later. In a two-page statement, Saab said he read Petro’s statement “with surprise.” He also stated that Venezuela faces threats that it must defend against and that some of them are allegedly coordinated by Colombia. He also asked the president not to intervene in the affairs of a country other than his own.

“Dear President, I do not see the head of state Nicolás Maduro Moros interfering in Colombia’s internal affairs […] With all due respect, I tell you, you must take care of Colombia, which has multiple and serious problems: here we have to take care of ours,” said Saab.

Saab also said that there is a “transnational and multifactorial aggression against Venezuela”, which the country defends itself against “with full respect for constitutional guarantees and human rights”.

THE CNN contacted the Colombian presidency to comment on the prosecutor’s statements and is awaiting a response.

On Wednesday (15), during his annual address to the nation, Maduro said that Venezuelan authorities have so far detained more than 150 people he described as “mercenaries” of 25 nationalities, including Colombian and American citizens. However, neither the president nor other high-ranking officials have yet detailed the alleged crimes attributed to these individuals. It is also unknown whether the 12 Colombians mentioned by Petro are included in this number.

After the July 28 vote, Maduro said more than 2,000 people had been arrested for alleged acts of violence in post-election protests, including more than 100 minors. Late last year, the president requested a review of these cases to determine whether procedural errors occurred in any of them. According to the Venezuelan Attorney General’s Office, as a result of these reviews, 1,515 people had been released as of January 6.

This content was originally published in President of Colombia calls for release of 12 Colombians arrested in Venezuela on the CNN Brasil website.

Source: CNN Brasil

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