On Tuesday (13), the Venezuelan government, which is widely viewed as a dictatorship, levelled accusations against the United States. According to the Venezuelan authorities, the US is culpable of “protecting and providing shelter to individuals involved in acts of terrorism and interventionism”. This statement was made in response to Washington expressing deep concern over the recent arrest of Venezuelan activist Rocío San Miguel. Rocío was detained on Friday (9) under allegations of her involvement in a conspiracy plotting to assassinate a high-ranking official.
Venezuela’s Minister of Foreign Relations, Yván Gil, voiced his criticism of the US government via a message on the social media platform X. He asserted, “Today the US government is providing protection and support to terrorists, who have admitted to their crimes and the instructions they received to inflict harm on our people. They are complicit in the intellectual and material execution of the acts of terrorism and interventionism against Venezuela.”
Gil went on to allege that the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) have been conducting conspiracies from Miami and Colombia. He claimed that these agencies, in collaboration with opponents from the Venezuelan ‘extreme right’, have been plotting to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro and other government officials. These accusations were reportedly confirmed by the Venezuelan Public Ministry (MP) at the end of January.
The United States, on Tuesday, expressed its deep concern about the detention of Rocío, who is the director of the NGO Control Ciudadano. The US called on the Maduro regime to adhere to agreements made to bolster democracy in the country, in light of the activist’s arrest.
Towards the end of the previous year, the Chavista dictatorship had committed to agreements with the USA and the Venezuelan opposition to conduct free and fair elections in the country.
When questioned by the EFE Agency, White House Security Council spokesman John Kirby confirmed that the US government is keeping a close watch on the case of Rocío. She was apprehended by Venezuelan security forces last Friday as she attempted to board a flight from Caracas to Miami with her daughter.
Tarek William Saab, the attorney general, decried what he called a “vicious international campaign” against Venezuela’s judicial system following the arrest of Rocío along with five of her family members and associates. According to Saab, these individuals were implicated in a conspiracy with the aim of launching an attack on Maduro and Venezuela’s military units.
