Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has drawn the ire of the international community for his refusal to cede power in an apparent election defeat in the country’s presidential election in July. Now, a neighboring South American country has also decided to act against the authoritarian leader.
A federal court in Argentina called for the “immediate” arrest of Maduro on Monday for alleged crimes against humanity in dealing with protesters and dissidents after the July election, according to the Associated Press. The court also called for the arrest of Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello for the same charges.
Pablo Bertuzzi, Leopoldo Bruglia, and Mariano Llorens, members of Argentina’s federal court, issued a resolution declaring that “the arrest warrants for Nicolás Maduro and Diosdado Cabello be executed immediately, and that their international arrest should be ordered via Interpol for the purposes of extradition to the Argentine Republic,” the Associated Press reported.
Venezuela’s presidential election has been mired in controversy ever since Maduro, the incumbent, was declared the winner by the country’s National Electoral Council. Despite this victory, it is widely believed that his opponent, Edmundo Gonzalez of the opposition party, was the true election winner, as tallies reportedly showed Gonzalez earned more than 70% of the country’s. However, the NEC, a Maduro-aligned government organization, claimed Maduro was the victor without proof.
As a result, numerous protests and demonstrations were held throughout the country in opposition to Maduro’s claim of victory. In response, Maduro ordered the arrests of many protesters. Gonzalez was forced to flee the country and is now in Spain, where he has been granted asylum.
Despite Maduro’s actions, the order from the Argentine court to arrest Maduro is also considered retaliatory. Previously, the Venezuela Supreme Court issued an arrest warrant for Argentina’s President Javier Milei, the Associated Press reported. The Venezuela court order stems from an earlier incident in which a cargo plane belonging to a Venezuela state-owned company was detained in Argentina over suspicions it was purchased from a sanctioned Iranian airline.
The latest incidents between the South American countries come as diplomatic relations have deteriorated after Milei’s election victory in December, according to the Associated Press. The breakdown stems from the political ideological differences between Argentina’s president and the far-left Maduro.