UN Alarmed by Maduro Kidnapping: Intervention Sets Dangerous Precedent

WISE NEWS PRESS / NEW YORK, UNITED STATES 

The United Nations (UN) has expressed deep concern regarding the U.S. military intervention in Venezuela, stating that the move violates international law and creates a dangerous precedent that makes all sovereign states less secure.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) issued consecutive warnings following the capture of Nicolas Maduro. Ravina Shamdasani, spokesperson for the UN Human Rights Office, emphasized that the international community must clarify that such actions infringe upon the political independence of states. Guterres added that he is profoundly worried about the intensified instability in the region and the impact this "precedent" will have on how relations between states are conducted in the future.

"A Message That the Powerful Can Act at Will"

Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani rejected U.S. arguments that the intervention was justified by the Maduro government's long-standing human rights violations. According to the UN:

• Accountability for human rights abuses cannot be achieved through a unilateral military intervention that violates international law.

  
  

• The intervention sends a message that powerful nations can act as they please, disregarding the sovereignty of others.

  
  

• States must not use force or threaten to use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of another state.

• The increase in military presence and instability resulting from this act is expected to worsen the humanitarian situation reported by the UN for years.

Guterres Warns of Regional Instability

In a statement delivered to the UN Security Council in New York, Secretary-General Guterres highlighted the risks of the current situation. He expressed deep concern over the potential for intensified instability within Venezuela and its cascading effects across the broader region. The UN remains focused on the "precedent" this sets for international diplomacy and the fundamental rules governing state interactions.

U.S. Defense: A Law Enforcement Operation

U.S. Permanent Representative to the UN, Mike Waltz, defended the action before the Security Council, characterizing it not as an invasion but as a law enforcement operation. Waltz stated:

• The operation targeted Nicolas Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, whom he described as "two fugitives" indicted by American justice.

• The U.S. military played a "facilitating role" for the American courts in this process.

• There is no war against the Venezuelan people, and the U.S. is not "occupying" the country.

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