Argentina within the framework of the Third World Forum on Human Rights, specifically in the panel on political prisoners in Western democracies. We reviewed the case of Venezuelan diplomat Alexa, who has been illegally detained in the United States since being arrested in Buenos Aires. Our correspondent, Carolina Silvestre, has the details.
The self-proclaimed champion of civil, political, and economic freedoms, the United States, has violated human rights once again by taking Alexa as another victim. In the context of the World Human Rights Forum, there were many sessions, but this one was special as it addressed the issue of political prisoners in both Western and Latin American contexts within the broader framework of disciplining social activists.
We discussed the case of Milagro Sala and the case of Alexa, a Venezuelan businessman who broke the blockade to import food into Venezuela in the face of the sanctions imposed by the United States, which have only intensified. This is a clear example of the ominous collateral consequences of war measures against Venezuela and how they affect daily life.
Alexa's case highlights the impact of the blockade on the Venezuelan people, third-party states, and citizens of the world. Alexa is not only sick, but he is also denied access to his family while being held in custody by the United States. This double standard is supported by the media, which has the characteristic of invisibilizing the inequalities of this world, and the United States, which arrogates to itself the potentiality of historical interference against Venezuela. Additionally, they position themselves as media conduits as human rights champions when, in reality, they are the opposite.
Gerardo Echeverri, Vice President of the League for Human Rights, explains why Alexa's detention violates international law. Even some Americans acknowledge that it was a violation, as stated in one of their leaders' books. On the one hand, they sanction Venezuela, which has been ongoing for more than eight years, forcing diplomatic maneuvers to obtain essential items for the Venezuelan people. This is precisely what Alexa was doing. Then, they say that it is not diplomatic to acquire necessary items for the country. For Echeverri, it is essential to denounce this illegal pressure in spaces such as the Third World Forum on Human Rights.
The Empire's objective is to present Alexa as a tax evader, someone who has committed money laundering. In reality, they are denouncing the actions taken by the Venezuelan people and government to evade the blockade because they prevent direct purchases, which forces them to use triangulations. These triangulations, which are necessary to violate the blockade, are what they call money laundering. This is undoubtedly an absolute trap and bad faith on the part of a country accustomed to imposing its power over the rest of the world.
