The Federal Chamber of Buenos Aires has issued an international arrest warrant against Nicolas Maduro and one of his main leaders, Vice President Diosdado Cabello, judging them “responsible for a systematic plan to detain, kidnap and torture citizens of Venezuela.”
The decision also affects more than thirty leaders, including members of the armed forces, security forces, the Bolivarian National Guard and intelligence agents.
The decision was adopted as part of a case opened in early 2023 following a complaint against Maduro, presented by the Argentine Forum for the Defense of Democracy (FADD), based on the principle of universal jurisdiction that allows countries to prosecute serious crimes against human rights regardless of where they were committed.
In addition, the arrest warrants will be requested to be presented to Interpol, so that it can decide whether or not to file a red alert request.
In a statement, the FADD – made up of Argentine politicians, academics, journalists, diplomats and human rights defenders – described the decision adopted by judges Pablo Bertuzzi, Leopoldo Bruglia and Mariano Llorens as “historic.”
“Argentine justice has taken a crucial step in the fight against the impunity of dictators,” said the non-governmental organization, which last Tuesday, together with the prosecutor’s office, had asked the court to issue the arrest warrants.
“Now Maduro has become a fugitive from justice and the world has become increasingly smaller for those who have committed atrocious crimes,” said Elisa Trotta, secretary general of the FADD.
The activist recalled that the Maduro government is also under investigation by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for crimes against humanity.
“This decision by the Argentine justice system sends a strong message to ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan that it is time to do the right thing and move forward with international arrest warrants to end impunity in Venezuela. Those responsible for the crimes against humanity committed over the last decade must be punished,” Trotta said.
The FAAD stressed that the decision of the Argentine justice comes a week after the UN Independent International Fact-Finding Mission denounced the “brutal repression” and “unprecedented violence” in Venezuela after the presidential elections of July 28.
Venezuelan justice is looking for Milei
Argentina’s decision against Maduro comes 24 hours after a Venezuelan decision against Argentine President Javier Milei.
Thus, a Venezuelan court issued on Monday a “preventive” detention order, previously requested by the Public Ministry (deputy, prosecutor’s office), against the Argentine president, Javier Milei, for “aggravated theft” and six other crimes related to the case of the Venezuelan-Iranian plane detained in Buenos Aires and sent to the United States in February.
In a statement, the Criminal Cassation Chamber of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) explained that, following the request of the deputy, the arrest order was accepted against Milei, as well as against the Secretary General of Argentina, Karina Milei, and the Minister of Security, Patricia Bullrich.
The TSJ said the arrest warrant concerns the alleged crimes of “aggravated theft, money laundering, simulation of punishable acts, unlawful deprivation of liberty, unlawful interference with the operational security of civil aviation and incapacity of aircraft and associations to commit a crime.”
On September 18, Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab reported on the request and processing of the arrest warrant against Milei – for which he opened “an investigation” – for the “theft” of the Venezuelan-Iranian plane held in Buenos Aires since June 2022 and sent to the United States last February.
The public prosecutor’s office announced the appointment of two specialized prosecutors in the matter, “who will lead the relevant procedures in the case.”
Saab also reported the appointment of a “specialized prosecutor in the protection of human rights to carry out the corresponding investigations” against Milei and Bullrich for “the actions committed against the Argentine people.”
“We could be facing serious human rights violations that could constitute crimes against humanity,” he said.
On Friday, the Argentine government said it “does not care” about the “nonsense” that Venezuela’s “dictatorial” executive is saying about Milei.
“This is all ridiculous. A dictatorship does not need to understand the division of powers, but the decision regarding the plane is a judicial decision of Argentina and not of the president of the country,” presidential spokesman Manuel Adorni said at a news conference.
This month, Argentina’s foreign ministry urged the International Criminal Court (ICC) to seek an arrest warrant for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and “other leaders of the regime,” given the “worsening situation” following the 2017 presidential elections in the Caribbean country on July 28.
