US Secretary of State Antony Blinken warned this Thursday before the Organization of American States (OAS) that there are more and more anti-democratic leaders in the region and made a call to put aside ideologies to defend democracy.
“Every time we see more leaders who undertake anti-democratic measures under the false justification that they have popular support,” he criticized during the LII General Assembly of the OAS, held in Lima, in which he did not directly quote any of them.
The head of US diplomacy cited as an example the approval of legislation that extends the mandates of presidents or that allows the harassment of judges.
Blinken said the United States will work with its partners – governments and civil society organizations – to denounce these abuses.
“I want to be very clear: it is not about choosing sides between left and right or progressive and conservative, it is about committing ourselves to democracy ahead of ideologies and parties,” he claimed.
#Assembly of the OEA | Antony Blink (@SecBlinken), Secretary of State for #USA: “This is not about choosing a side between the right and the left, but rather our commitment to democracy is about standing up.”
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— VPItv (@VPITv) October 6, 2022
Asks to condemn the regimes of Venezuela, Nicaragua and Cuba
The US Foreign Minister asked the countries to “unequivocally condemn the authoritarian regimes in the region”, among which he named Nicaragua, Cuba and Venezuela.
He assured that the government of Daniel Ortega in Nicaragua violates the OAS Democratic Charter by “arbitrarily arresting the opposition, repressing protests and committing flagrant electoral fraud.”
He also criticized the Cuban government for “the hundreds of people arrested” for the protests in July last year, who remain in prison just for going out to “ask for their human rights to be respected.”
Blinken accused Maduro of causing a humanitarian catastrophe
He accused the Venezuelan government of Nicolás Maduro of having caused a “humanitarian catastrophe” that has led to the departure of 6 million people from the country.
Blinken, whose government has promised to relax sanctions against Caracas if Maduro returns to negotiations with the opposition, called on countries to join the demand for free elections in Venezuela in 2024.
He took the opportunity to refer to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and congratulated the OAS for having expelled Russia months ago as an observer member of the continental forum.
And he said that “it is crucial” that all countries condemn the “fraudulent referendums” on the annexation to Russia of four provinces in eastern Ukraine.
#Assembly of the OEA | “All member states must unite to support a negotiated solution that will lead to free elections in Venezuela in the year 2024,” said Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken), Secretary of State for #USA.
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— VPItv (@VPITv) October 6, 2022
#Assembly of the OEA | @SecBlinkenSecretary of State for #USA: “In #Venezuela The right of citizens to choose their own leaders has been denied and has caused the humanitarian catastrophe for which there are millions of migrants.
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— VPItv (@VPITv) October 6, 2022