On Friday, Venezuelan security forces encircled the Argentine embassy in Caracas following the arrival of two opposition members seeking asylum, as reported by opposition social media channels.
These two individuals joined four others who had previously sought refuge within the embassy earlier in the year. Among the new arrivals was Pedro Urruchurtu, international coordinator for opposition leader María Corina Machado, who disclosed via X (formerly Twitter) that hooded and armed officials were patrolling around the embassy. The second individual, former deputy Omar González, reported on X that the electricity to the embassy had been cut and that it was currently under siege by the Sebin (Bolivarian National Intelligence Service) along with other state security agencies.
Vente Venezuela, the political movement led by María Corina Machado, issued a statement condemning the “siege” and held Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro responsible for the safety of their leaders sheltered in the embassy.
Efforts by the Argentine government to negotiate their exit from Venezuela have remained unfulfilled so far. In response to these developments, CNN has sought comments from the foreign ministries of Venezuela and Argentina, with no responses received at the time of reporting.
Additionally, CNN reached out to Brazil’s foreign ministry, which has taken over the protection of the embassy after Maduro expelled Argentine diplomats from Venezuela. This expulsion followed criticisms from Argentina regarding the legitimacy of Venezuela’s July 28 elections, which declared Maduro the winner amid controversies and calls for transparency from various governments and international entities.
Just hours before these events at the embassy, Argentina’s foreign ministry requested the International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor to consider issuing arrest warrants for Maduro and other officials for potential crimes against humanity linked to post-election unrest.
During a forum in Buenos Aires on Thursday, Argentinian President Javier Milei labeled Maduro a “criminal.” Moreover, Argentina has dismissed a Venezuelan court’s arrest warrant against Edmundo González, a presidential candidate for the opposition Democratic Unity Platform (PUD) and a principal adversary of Maduro, over allegations tied to the unauthorized release of detailed election results, which González denies, stating the data was obtained legally through election observers.
