Argentina demands Maduro grant safe passsage to asylum seekers

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The Foreign Ministry has called on the Venezuelan government to allow six government dissidents who have taken refuge in Argentina’s Embassy in Caracas safe passage out of the country, claiming they face “imminent danger.”

President Javier Milei's administration also urged the United Nations, the Organisation of American States (OAS) and all allied nations to support “firm and urgent action” on the issue.

“The lives of six asylum seekers face imminent danger,” warned Argentina’s Foreign Ministry in a statement published on the X social network, in which it expressed its “utmost concern at the alarming and serious situation” at its diplomatic headquarters in the Venezuelan capital.

“We demand that the Maduro regime immediately deliver the [letters of] safe-conduct that guarantees their safe departure. We call on the UN, the OAS and all countries to take firm and urgent measures,” concluded the text.

The six asylum seekers are collaborators of opposition leader María Corina Machado, who was banned from running in this year’s election, in which Maduro won re-election for another six-year term in controversial circumstances.

International observers have condemned the July vote and refused to recognise its results.

Maduro’s government accuses Machado and her allies of planning “terrorist actions” against Venezuela. She was banned from running for office and put up a candidate in her stead.

Last Wednesday, Machado, declared in hiding, made an “urgent appeal” to the governments of Argentina and Brazil, asking them to address what she called “a state of siege” on the residence.

The United States also insisted on the request for safe conduct.

Argentina’s Embassy in Caracas has been guarded by Brazil since August 1, when Venezuela formally broke off relations with Argentina over its stance on this year’s disputed elections, in which Maduro was re-elected president amid allegations of fraud.

In September, Caracas announced its decision to revoke Brazil's permission to represent Argentina, but the government of Luiz Inácio Lula de Silva, which did not recognise Maduro as the winner of the election, said it would continue to defend Argentina's interests.

The asylum seekers at the Embassy have denounced the Venezuelan authorities for cutting off electricity and drinking water, as well as blocking food deliveries.