European Commission criticizes arrest of Europeans in Venezuela

The European Commission said on Monday (16) that the arrest of two Spaniards and a Czech by Venezuelan authorities is “regrettable” and that it is following the situation with “concern”.

“It is regrettable that the Venezuelan regime has arrested European citizens,” European Union (EU) foreign affairs spokesman Peter Stano told a daily news briefing.

The spokesperson said the Commission stands in solidarity with Spain and the Czech Republic, but stressed that it is the consular “responsibility” of both countries to deal with the situation affecting their citizens: Spaniards Andrés Martínez Adasme and José María Basoa Valdovinos and Czech Jan Darmovrzal.

In addition to them, the Venezuelan dictatorship also arrested three Americans, all accused of alleged “subversive activities” and attempted assassination of public representatives, including the dictator, Nicolás Maduro.

Following these accusations, Spain, through its Ministry of Foreign Affairs, denied this Sunday (15) that it is involved in a “political destabilization operation” in Venezuela and “categorically rejected any insinuation” in this regard.

The Czech Republic sent a diplomatic note to Caracas on Monday asking for information on Darmovrzal’s arrest.

In this context, Stano reiterated the European Union’s call on the Venezuelan authorities to “respect human rights and put an end to arbitrary arrests, not only of European citizens, but also of opposition members, activists and journalists”.

These statements were made after the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Josep Borrell, said this Sunday, in an interview with the Spanish television station Telecincothat Maduro’s regime is “dictatorial and authoritarian.”

“Let’s not fool ourselves about the nature of things. Venezuela called elections, but it was not a democracy before and much less after,” Borrell stressed.

The head of European diplomacy alluded to the exile of opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia, who is in Spain, where he has requested political asylum, and also to the “thousand limitations” to which political parties are subject and the fact that seven million Venezuelans have fled their country.

“What do you call all this? Well, it’s clear that it’s a dictatorial, authoritarian, dictatorial regime,” he said.