Venezuela Citizens Testify Against Dictator Nicolas Maduro in Argentina Court Over Crimes Against Humanity

For the first time ever, a federal court in Buenos Aires, Argentina is hearing accusations of crimes against humanity against current Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro, who is also facing a crimes against humanity investigation from the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights.

The trial comes as Venezuelans, frustrated by the limits of the laboriously slow International Criminal Court proceedings, brought the case to Argentina, which is 3,000 miles from Venezuela. For two days, victims of the Maduro regime testified against the current president and dictator and talked about the abuses made by the government under his rule.

This came after Argentine prosecutors moved to revive a criminal complaint that was filed back in 2003 earlier this year. It was filed by the Clooney Foundation for Justice on behalf of survivors and the family members whose loved ones were killed under Maduro's "systematic plan" to crush any form of dissent happening in Venezuela.

Many of the crimes were made by the Venezuelan National Guard, and the Argentine prosecutors declared that the crimes they committed were of "extreme seriousness" and required an immediate investigation.

Several people even flew in from Venezuela for the first pre-trial hearing on Thursday, with Yasmine Chubin, legal advocacy director at the Clooney Foundation, a nonprofit founded by George and Amal Clooney, telling the Associated Press, "Those testifying are people who have sought justice in Venezuela for a very long time, and have reached the end of where they can go."

"They're continuing to fight to hold those responsible to account, and that led to us filing this case," she added.

Under the Maduro regime, Venezuelan security forces used harsh tactics to clamp down on mass anti-government protests, leading to the arresting, torturing, and killing of those suspected of dissent. This led to the deaths of at least 43 people on both sides. In addition, Maduro has held a firm grip on power, installing loyalists in the Supreme Court and electoral body to ensure he stays president.

Venezuela Holds Mock Elections Ahead of Crucial July Vote

Back in Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro is heading for re-election but is using his usual tactics to repress the opposition and make sure he wins. This includes a mock election held last Sunday so that he and his party could gauge its voter-mobilizing powers ahead of the July 28 vote.

Those who participated in the mock election were mostly party supporters and public employees. It was done so that they could familiarize themselves with the fingerprint readers and electronic voting machines that are going to be used in the national election.

Venezuela Opposition Holds Massive Rally One Month Before Big Vote

Meanwhile, the opposition is trying to rally Venezuelans who are tired of the constant problems under the Maduro regime with a massive rally led by opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who used to be the election's frontrunner before the Maduro-aligned Supreme Court upheld her disqualification.

The rally was held in the Venezuelan city of San Cristobal as Machado called for Venezuelans to vote for her lesser-known replacement, diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez, who is currently leading Maduro in the polls by a wide margin.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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