US 'Gravely Concerned' About Safety Of Americans Jailed In Venezuela - State Department

WASHINGTON (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 23rd March, 2019) The Trump administration has expressed its grave concern about the well-being of all American citizens held under detention in prisons in Venezuela, US Department of State deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino said in a statement on Friday.

"The United States is gravely concerned about the welfare and safety of all US persons detained in Venezuela, and by reports of Venezuelan prison officials preventing attorneys and families of detained US citizens from delivering food and denying routine communication," Palladino said. "We will hold [President Nicolas] Maduro and his prison officials to account for their safety and well-being."

Palladino pointed out that the Maduro government, which the United States no longer recognizes, is incapable of providing adequate nutrition to detainees in Venezuela's prison system.

"We call on security forces and prison officials to allow the US detainees to receive supplementary dietary assistance through their families or attorneys, to ensure they have access to medical care, and to afford these individuals a fair and transparent judicial process," Palladino said.

The statement claimed that Venezuela's judicial system is "broken," noting the Maduro government had detained five dual US citizen CITGO employees in Venezuela - along with one US legal permanent resident - for more than a year without any scheduled hearing.