Morocco becomes the first country in Africa to join the international declaration condemning the situation in Venezuela
Morocco continues to strengthen its position on the international scene, becoming the only country in Africa to sign an international declaration, led by the United States and the European Union, that condemns the situation in Venezuela after the presidential elections.
This decision reaffirms the Kingdom's commitment to the principles of democracy and reiterates its support for the Venezuelan opposition to the dictatorship led by Nicolás Maduro. In this sense, it is worth remembering that Morocco expressed its support for Juan Guaidó in 2020, becoming the first African country to receive his special envoy in 2019.
In the joint declaration signed this Friday in Santo Domingo de Guzmán, Morocco, the EU and 20 other countries call for “sensibility” and “sanity” in Venezuela, urging social actors and
politicians to "maximum restraint" in their public actions.
The signatories insist that democratic principles be respected, as well as the human rights and freedoms of all Venezuelans, mainly the right to peacefully demonstrate and freedom of expression.
“We follow the situation in Venezuela with concern. The reports of arbitrary detentions of Venezuelans without due process are alarming, which is why we demand their immediate release,” the joint statement highlights.
Faced with this situation, the nations express their "deep rejection of the repression of protesters and the violence that has cost the lives of many Venezuelans in the post-electoral context."
Likewise, they have made an urgent call for the Venezuelan authorities to end the violence and release all those who have been detained, including representatives of the opposition.
In the same way, they request that the "urgent return to Venezuela of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights" be allowed, with the aim of "guaranteeing adequate conditions so that it can fully carry out its mandate."
The joint statement recalls that the National Electoral Council (CNE) of Venezuela “has not yet presented the electoral records that support the veracity of the results announced on August 2,” adding that a digital version of more than 80% of the results has been published. electoral records, which show a different result than that published by the CNE.
For this reason, the signatory countries request the immediate publication of all the original results and the impartial and independent verification of these results, warning that "any delay in this happening calls into question the results officially published on August 2, 2024."
“Our nations have appealed to dialogue and understanding to resolve serious conflicts in the past. Today, more than ever, Venezuela must honor that legacy to recover the peaceful coexistence, public security and political stability that, according to reports from the Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela of the Human Rights Council of the UN, are being threatened by the Venezuelan security authorities themselves,” the statement indicates.
As they conclude, the signatory countries “commit to supporting all efforts in this regard, always advocating for a genuinely Venezuelan solution in which democracy, justice, peace and security prevail.”
The countries that have signed this joint statement on the situation in Venezuela are Argentina, Canada, Chile, Czech Republic, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Spain, United States, Guatemala, Guyana, Italy, Morocco, Netherlands, United Kingdom, Panama, Paraguay , Peru, Portugal, Dominican Republic, Suriname, Uruguay and the European Union.
