Venezuelan Envoy To UN Hopes OHCHR To Address Activists' Arrest In Country's US Embassy

Muhammad Irfan Published May 17, 2019 | 04:37 PM

Venezuela expects UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to respond to the recent arrest of four activists who had been protecting the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington from being seized by opposition leader Juan Guaido's supporters, Jorge Valero, Venezuela's permanent representative to the UN Office in Geneva (UNOG), told Sputnik

MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 17th May, 2019) Venezuela expects UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet to respond to the recent arrest of four activists who had been protecting the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington from being seized by opposition leader Juan Guaido's supporters, Jorge Valero, Venezuela's permanent representative to the UN Office in Geneva (UNOG), told Sputnik.

US Federal law enforcement officers entered the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington on Thursday to arrest the four remaining activists who had been in the building since April 24 to prevent supporters of Guaido, whom the United States recognizes as Venezuela's president, from seizing the property. This mission had been sanctioned by President Nicolas Maduro's government�

"I expect that the [United Nations] High Commissioner [for Human Rights], Madam Bachelet, will make some statement since in this particular case we are dealing with an undeniable violation of human rights of these people," Valero said.

The four arrested activists are set to stand trial in a US federal court later on Friday, the Act Now to Stop War and End Racism movement told Sputnik earlier in the day.

The US Secret Service broke into Venezuela's embassy in Washington on Monday. The representative of opposition leader Juan Guaido, Carlos Vecchio, said in a statement that the federal agents had ordered the activists to leave the embassy or face imprisonment and prosecution. However, four activists remained in the building and were eventually arrested. The State Department said police had carried out the arrest at Vecchio's request.

In March, the United States took control of three Venezuelan diplomatic properties on its territory, including two military buildings that belong to Venezuela's Defense Ministry.