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Damage is seen at the residence of Roberto Marrero, chief of staff to opposition leader Juan Guaido, after he was detained by Venezuelan intelligence agents. Click to see full size image
On March 21st, Venezuelan authorities detained Roberto Marrero, the Chief of Staff of US-proclaimed Venezuelan President Juan Guaido.
Guaido confirmed the arrest, calling for his immediate release.
Secuestraron a @ROBERTOMARRERO, jefe de mi despacho. El denunció a viva voz que le sembraron dos fusiles y una granada, se lo dijo al diputado @SergioVergaraG, su vecino. El procedimiento comenzó a las 2 am aprox. Desconocemos su paradero. Debe ser liberado de inmediato.
— Juan Guaidó (@jguaido) March 21, 2019
“They have kidnapped @Robertomarrero, my chief of staff. Two rifles and a grenade were planted.”
Guaido also added the Caracas residences of Marrero and another opposition official Sergio Vergara had been raided before dawn.
Marrero sent a last-minute voice note as the agents were trying to enter his house, saying, “Look after the president”. The voice note was shared with reporters by Guaido’s press team.
Sergio Vergara posted a video on Twitter also confirming Marrero’s arrest.
Esta madrugada el régimen usurpador allanó ilegalmente mi residencia y la de @ROBERTOMARRERO, jefe de despacho del Presidente @jguaido, LO SECUESTRARON y le sembraron armas.
La lucha por la mejor Venezuela continua. Este nuevo atropello nos da la fuerza para seguir adelante. pic.twitter.com/Y7XRAcwVlT
— SERGIO VERGARA G. (@SergioVergaraG) March 21, 2019
“They asked me if I knew where Roberto Marrero lived, which I didn’t respond to,” he said.
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that the US condemns the detention and called for his immediate release. All those involved would be held accountable.
The United States condemns raids by Maduro’s security services and detention of Roberto Marrero, Chief of Staff to Interim President @jguaido. We call for his immediate release. We will hold accountable those involved.
— Secretary Pompeo (@SecPompeo) March 21, 2019
US National Security Adviser John Bolton also said that Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro “made another big mistake.” He also called for Marrero’s immediate arrest.
Maduro has made another big mistake. The illegitimate arrest of Roberto Marrero, Interim President Juan Guaidó’s aide, will not go unanswered. He should be released immediately and his safety guaranteed.
— John Bolton (@AmbJohnBolton) March 21, 2019
The UK Foreign Secretary Sir Alan Duncan also criticized the arrest and that these actions would not go unnoticed.
Appalled by the arrest of @ROBERTOMARRERO, Chief of Staff to interim President of Venezuela @jguaido, and the violation of the parliamentary immunity of @SergioVergaraG MP. The international community is watching. Those responsible for abuses will be held to account. #Venezuela
— Sir Alan Duncan MP (@AlanDuncanMP) March 21, 2019
The UN Human Rights office also expressed its concern over arrest, they urged the Venezuelan government to respect due process and reveal Marrero’s whereabouts.
#Venezuela: Estamos muy preocupados por la detención de #RobertoMarrero, jefe de gabinete del Presidente de la Asamblea Nacional, por parte de miembros del SEBIN. Instamos al Gobierno a respetar estrictamente el debido proceso y a revelar inmediatamente su paradero.
— UN Human Rights (@UNHumanRights) March 21, 2019
It is likely that the arrest is a way to pressure the opposition, without directly arresting or taking action against Juan Guaido himself, who is under the US’ explicit protection.
On the previous day, Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro condemned the US and accused it of withholding $5 billion from Venezuela, which were meant to purchase supplies to produce medicines.
“A tremendous effort is made so that free and quality health reaches all the people, to be able to bypass all the aggression of Donald Trump’s government”, said President Maduro during an official act to relaunch the national pharmaceutical industry.
In terms of US economic pressure, on March 19th, the US Treasury Department sanctioned Venezuela’s state-run gold mining company Minerven, which is part of the Venezuelan Guayana Corporation (CVG) holding.
“The illegitimate Maduro regime is pillaging the wealth of Venezuela while imperiling indigenous people by encroaching on protected areas and causing deforestation and habitat loss. Maduro’s scheme to usurp the National Assembly’s authority and strip Venezuela of natural resources has exposed local communities to dangerous toxins,” said Treasury Secretary Steven T. Mnuchin. “Treasury is targeting gold processor Minerven and its President for propping up the inner circle of the corrupt Maduro regime. We will aggressively pursue those involved with Maduro’s reckless illicit gold trade which is contributing to this financial, humanitarian, and environmental crisis.”
On March 20th, the official response by the Venezuelan Government was posted on Twitter by Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza.
El Gobierno de la República Bolivariana de Venezuela expresa su contundente rechazo a las peligrosas declaraciones de los presidentes de Estados Unidos, Donald Trump, y del Brasil, Jair Bolsonaro, el día de hoy martes19 de marzo de 2019. Comunicado Oficial: pic.twitter.com/XuI3fGpWXu
— Jorge Arreaza M (@jaarreaza) March 20, 2019
The Maduro government declared it was “grotesque to see two heads of state with such important international responsibilities justify war without any distension, in a flagrant violation of the U.N. Charter.”
Arreaza added that the Venezuelan government is concerned about the “U.S. warmongering influence over Brazil and the supremacist thesis of Donald Trump over Jair Bolsonaro.” The statement emphasized that Venezuela denounces once again the threats of military intervention before the international community. “No neofascist alliance will succeed in overcoming the independent and sovereign will of the Venezuelan people,” it concludes.
Furthermore, in response to Venezuelan opposition seizing diplomatic properties in the US, the Venezuelan government condemned the move.
Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza denounced that the country’s diplomatic premises in the United States have been forcibly seized by Washington-backed agents.
“In a clear violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, our diplomatic buildings have been seized”, said Arreaza in an official statement, adding that according to the 1961 Convention “Venezuela’s diplomatic assets in the U.S. can only be used by the official personnel that represent the democratic and constitutional government of President Nicolas Maduro.”
Meanwhile, on the US side, during a press conference with US Special Envoy for Venezuela Elliot Abrams “went on record to say the Venezuelan National Assembly passed a resolution that essentially goes against the country’s constitution. He says they voted for the 30-day term of the self-declared interim president, opposition lawmaker Juan Guaido, to start once President Nicolas Maduro steps down.”
Abrams can't explain how Guaido is "President"
"So Juan Guaido is the interim president of an interim that doesn’t exist yet?"
Posted by teleSUR English on Tuesday, March 19, 2019
All of these developments followed an announcement by Venezuelan Vice-President Delcy Rodriguez, according to which Maduro would undertake a deep government restructuring, to preserve the Venezuelan government.
El Pdte @NicolasMaduro ha solicitado a todo el Gabinete Ejecutivo poner sus cargos a la orden a los efectos de una reestructuración profunda de los métodos y funcionamiento del gobierno bolivariano para blindar la Patria de Bolívar y Chávez ante cualquier amenaza!
— Delcy Rodríguez (@DrodriguezVen) March 17, 2019
“President @NicolasMaduro has asked the entire executive Cabinet to put their roles up for review in a deep restructuring of the methods and functions of the Bolivarian government, to protect the fatherland of Bolivar and Chavez from any threat.”
Whether that means he would also resign after the restructuring is unclear, but also unlikely.
MORE ON THE TOPIC:
- US-Based Citigroup To Sell Venezuelan Ggold In Setback To President Maduro: Sources
- Venezuela Opposition Seizes Diplomatic Properties In US, Plans Embassy Takeover
- Wayne Madsen: “Trump’s CIA Now Unbound and Back to Its Traditional Hijinks”
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“””US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo tweeted that the US condemns the detention and called for his immediate release. All those involved would be held accountable.”””
Pompeo and his buddy Bolton are rather helpless to the ground situation in Venezuela, the arrest of Guaido’s chief of staff is a prelude of Maduro’s future actions against the opposition. Since US has not shown any comprehensive policy against Venezuela except for stealing their money, it is clear US does not want to get its feet dirty, they are trying to topple a government from thousand of miles away using some local proxies and a lot of hot air.
Bank of England stole the gold…US only confiscated CITGO operations including its Corpus Christi (TX) refinery and VZ consular buildings in US, which also conducted cross-border smuggling of street fighting implements across the Columbian border with VZ and instigated sabotage at the tar sands crude processing plant and the main power generating unit at the Orinoco Dam, its not as if the US stole any money….
Only confiscated a refinery….
ONLY?? Have you ever seen a refinery? Those are billion dollar plants it aint small peanuts.
Regardless the USA conduct is vile hypocritical and just plain evil.
The USA and others that steal Venezuelan assets and gold will not be forgotten. I am sure countries around the world are looking for safer places, to move their money. These type of actions could lead to the end of the world. Starve or fight ? if you have many nukes.
Once the US has been defeated it will take them centuries to repay all they have stolen.
Those attempts are rather marginal, it shows Maduro, Russia and China how serious US is dealing with this “overthrow”.
not surprised the bank of england always steals from brown tribes the world over hell ever since they landed on turtle island its been just hell for us first nations out here no they are both thieves the brits and americans esp of brown folks lands lives ancient artifacts gold resources and children
They will use force now.
Are they going to do a Hollywood movie about it?
Yeah, after the failed attempt.
The US has been at this before we got real news 20+ years. I hope the restiants continues until the world ends. Hitler looks better to me every day compare to the rats running the USA. Where is the Better Healthcare and ending wars policy, our piece of garbage ran on. Hillary would of gave more healthcare to Americans and the war policy would have been the same.
U.S. has combined Hitler and Stalin into one.
no they won’t…they don’t have the support of even the region and other nations threw out the worlds
History as a guide says they need no “support” from other countries, Iraq II is a good example.
What a mess.
Great, now arrest the clown ring leader Guaido.
Oh right! Lets kill the maggot right away!
The Venezuelans aren’t smart enough, they should have arrested Guano on rape charges, that’s what the Americans would do.
Problem is thats exactly what the Americans want.
They are looking for excuses to intervene…
But I got a feeling that Maduro, just like Assad in Syria, is listening very carefully to what Putin and Putin’s advisors tell him to do…
I think they are on the same page with allies. China, Russia, Iran, Cuba, and many others.
Yes I agree, but if a tearful pretty young girl was the accuser, Trump would not dare touch a me too girl.
Remember how they framed Dominique Strauss Khan?
You have to fight dirty like Americans fight.
You don’t have to fight dirty. Another reason for this – in case of arrest Guaido has chances to became a “martyr”. Look to the Navalniy in Russia. In 2011 he has a lot of supporters. Now – more than 60% of population hate him. Think Russian advisers are going to do same thing with Guaido.
Different culture with different priorities, instead of US lies, innuendo, false accusation and “me too culture” where women lie about being sexually abused.
One by one the Washington evil dreams falling down. LOL
I see none of that, You must be blind. You might get a not blind dog to help You where You are.
Israel must be dismantled.
Americans are in deep sleep while Israel will burried them alive.
The American war with every single country is due to Zionism in action.
The F35 jet nobody want to buy it.
The American industry will soon bankrupt $500 billion lost due to boing crush in Ethiopia.
I´d love to see a wolf pack of soulless lawyers to sue
Boeing in a class action, where the company has to explain, why their “extra safety
feature” intervened for no reason, brought down two planes and killed 300+
people.
Thats right. Things like that and other kinds of cheetings happens too often. Cars driving with disels and lying about how many kilometers pr liter is a very good example.
More people like that should be punished more and in more numbers. Its very different from producers make mistakes not knowing they are.
I see that 19.998 Boing 737 are doing fine. Next You wil, recycle Your crap because it have a flat tire.
More like a hope USA will be bancrups. It wont. Its a too important wheel in the world economy. Even China will helkp, so it might decline, but there will be no banckrupsy.
You seemes to have no idea about how that is. Boing as many others has problems, beacuse it might have been grown too old and big not reforming itself well. By that they are only bad in thos sector in mainly not in the rest.
Its like other parts of USA and the world. Fx car industries also have to change well into electric cars as well as the electric power systems are changing into much more wind and at least more solar cells.
In Capitalisme You mainly find 2 ways. If the companie or part of them die, they can re invent themselves – or – some newcommers take over. So BOING and other industrial complexes might die, but some has to produce airplanes, cars and energy to me.
Other things can happend. My father worked in a bank. So many got fired because of computers and he was retired before time with some extra money. BUT computers also created a lot of new jobs, which mainly was taken over by somputer educated mainly Young ones. Those not so Young ones often are well paid and parts is given to retired old people as pension.
Things dont collapse. They often are replaced making the minus to new ways of making plus.
Fine for me flying chinese, if they dont fall down like those 2 airplanes of the well estimated 737 seria.
If someone had pulled that crap in the US, they police would go arrest the fake ‘acting president’
fully how the rest of the world is such cowards. If he is claiming to be president and he is not, that is both impersonating a state official, and a claim to have conquered the country.
Seems not one brave police officer in all of venezuelan to go make a simple arrest.
Perhaps this nation deserves to go into the dustbin of history.
http://ihr.org/sites/default/files/RevisedBillboardResized.jpg
Not quite true. Trump thought he was President and found out latter he was only a Puppet. Real Presidents end up like JFK.
Trump find out, that the Power of USA is big, bacuse its spread out and a president is no Dictator.
Trump is no puppet. He is just too stupid and populistic t see that. In the other hand we see the old decleining establisment fx by Hillary.
People by that choosed Trump and his contrast. Thats no puppyisme at all.
finally some sanity from the Maduro govt
Porque no, trying to overthrow a duly elected president is a
treason and should be dealt as such. This has nothing to do whether the
president mismanaged the economy or not and the following lines give a clear
indication, what this mess is all about “Our goal is to make sure these foreign
influences (China and Russia) are not controlling Venezuela and adversely
affecting the United States and our interests in OUR OWN hemisphere,”(Bolton).
Can you express your imperialistic goals more graphically.
Chavez confiscated the American part of the oilindustry for no compensation and the same for plantagens.
You only see a mirror as dancing queens. They see thats stolen property.
Chavez and Maduros being revolusion canaries only saw this:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFrGuyw1V8s
Guaido needs to be arrested for his own safety; when the opportunity arises the US will assassinate him and blame it on Maduro.
Marrero sent a last-minute voice note as the agents were trying to enter his house, saying, “Look after the president”.
He came to his senses as he was being arrested. President Maduro may see it differently.
about time that Maduro and the government of Venezuela took some action against these traitors.. it also shows who is really in control of the presidency and the security forces
I am assuming that the Justice department there has new powers since the Cabinet shake up and that there will be more and ore arrests, and trials,
Book ’em all, Danno
The American national anthem?
https://youtu.be/zftKpiI6_sI
Correct me if I wrong, but as I know, in Venezuela, interim president could be elected only for 30 days and 30 days already passed. Looks like to call Guaido “president” is illegal.
Good. Now arrest that US Obama-look-alike agent Guaido and call it a day.
guaido should rightly be lampposted asap, together with the criminally insane fatso (secretary of state, moronistan aka usa) and bedbugcrazy bolton, both premium members of the corrupt and criminally insane cabal in washington dc.
where are the veterans that can retake powers from those criminals. one humongous veterans demonstration in washington dc and fatso and bolton would be out of work and lampposted on pennsylvania avenue!
Its worse then that- Chaves with Maduro only took over, bacuse people semilar to Guadio was doing pretty bad.
I have heard they have not annouced any changes, so if they took over, it would be the same from a much lower level.
UN calls Guaido the President of the National Assembly. I can hardly believe that UN is such a brazen tool of the globalists.
So . . . according to the constitutional argument he gets to be interim president because the presidency is “vacated”. But only for 30 days. But they’ve decided that they don’t have to start the 30 days until he gets to actually, you know, be president. And he doesn’t get to actually be president yet because . . . the presidency isn’t vacated. Brilliant.
In other news, I am now the Prime Minister of Canada. Now if only the Americans would give me the kind of free publicity Guaido gets . . .
FINALLY i would of arrested em the first moment venez civs started dying!!