The five Venezuelan opponents who have been refugees in the Argentine Embassy in Caracas for more than a year have been released and transferred to “American soil”, as confirmed by the Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, and the opposition leader María Corina Machado. The circumstances of liberation were unknown late in Tuesday afternoon, although the messages of Rubio and Machado pointed to a “rescue” and an “unpublished” operation.
Rubio said that the departure of the opponents was a “precision operation.” “The United States celebrates the successful rescue of all hostages retained by the Maduro regime. After a precise operation, all hostages are on the floor of the United States,” he published in an X message, which later replied Machado to confirm the exit of his collaborators: “We extend our gratitude to all the personnel involved in this operation and our partners that helped ensure the safe release of these Venezuelan heroes.” The American official added.
The political leader who had received from asylum from Argentina are Magalli Meda, campaign head of Edmundo González; Claudia Macero, who headed the Machado communications team; Omar González Moreno, formerly to the National Assembly; Pedro Urruchurtu and Humberto Villalobos, all of them members of Vente Venezuela, the political party headed by Machado. Until December, politician Fernando Martínez Mottola accompanied them as a refugee, who left the headquarters last December and died in February.
The six took refuge in the Argentine Embassy in February 2024, after the Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Office turned arrest warrants under accusations of alleged conspiracy. Since Venezuela broke relations with Argentina when President Javier Milei ignored the results of the presidential elections on July 28, the diplomatic headquarters was under Brazil’s protection.
