Miguel Ángel Rodríguez, former president of Costa Rica and past secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS), commented on the recent capture and extraction of Nicolás Maduro by the United States government. Rodríguez, who has also served as an observer in Venezuelan elections, stated that while it is “difficult” for him to support or congratulate the U.S. invasion, he justifies it.
“I justify it because there has been a violation of the human right established in Latin America by the Inter-American Democratic Charter to live in democracy, and because unfortunately, organizations within the inter-American and global institutional framework were not able to provide Venezuela with the necessary support during all these long years in which the narco-dictatorship has violated human rights,” said Rodríguez.
Rodríguez expressed sorrow over having reached this point, noting that Saturday’s actions highlight failures in protecting democratically elected leaders. “What has been happening since 2015 when I first visited Venezuela with another group of former presidents supporting democratic forces (…) now what needs to be done is work to restore Venezuela’s sovereignty, its productive capacity, and make it possible for Venezuelans to rebuild their democracy and lives united under their own sovereignty,” he added.
He concluded his remarks with a call for prayers for the Venezuelan people and for those who “won the elections decisively” to be able to take power.
Following Maduro’s capture, President Donald Trump stated that the United States would “administer” Venezuela until a “peaceful” transition occurs but did not provide further details about who would oversee this process or for how long.
