Boric condemns investigation against Venezuelan opponents and calls for respect for human rights

Chilean President Gabriel Boric condemned the opening of an investigation against María Corina Machado and the presidential candidate of the majority opposition, Edmundo González Urrutia, and called on the “Maduro regime” to respect human rights.

«Now the Maduro regime announces criminal prosecution against Gonzalez and Machado, while repressing its own people who demand respect for their democratically expressed will. We advocate for respect for the human rights of protesters and opposition leaders.“, said the president on his X account.

The Prosecutor’s Office announced this Monday the opening of a criminal investigation against Machado and González Urrutia, for alleged “incitement to insurrection“, after both called on the police and military to stop the “repression” for which they accuse Nicolás Maduro.

In a statement, Attorney General Tarek William Saab said that investigations will be initiated into this “open incitement” by the officers to “disobey the law,” after opposition leaders asked the officers to “enforce” the results of the July 28 elections, which they say gave González Urrutia the victory and not Maduro.

Venezuela’s National Electoral Council (CNE) attributed the victory to Maduro, in office since 2013, but more than a week later it has still not published the minutes proving that victory, as requested by much of the international community.

Boric, who has always been one of the most critical voices against Maduro and was the first international leader to call for transparency in the results of the presidential elections, was once again one of the first to speak out against the criminal investigation of Venezuelan opposition leaders.

The progressive president, who will not recognize any result that is not validated by “independent international organizations“He avoided referring to the Venezuelan crisis during his public statement at La Moneda on Monday, as part of the official visit of his Brazilian counterpart, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and said that he would make a statement “tomorrow (Tuesday) afternoon.”

Chile is one of seven Latin American countries that had to withdraw their diplomatic missions from Venezuela following Maduro’s order in rejection of its “interventionist” statements regarding the presidential election.