The State Department denounced via its Twitter account that Saab’s health is “at risk due to the lack of adequate medical care”.
On the same social network, the Free Alex Saab Movement recalled that today is the fifth anniversary of his appointment as Venezuelan diplomat and that he was kidnapped on a special mission to bring food and medicine to the Venezuelan people.
“We urge the United States government to return to the path of respect for international law!” the message said.
A statement from the organization noted that his accreditation as the Bolivarian Republic’s Special Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs was to conduct humanitarian efforts to ensure basic needs for the Venezuelan people. He stressed that he was carrying out this task “without hesitation” and in so doing was jeopardizing his own security for the common good, which is why he was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize.
The text recalled that today Saab is “illegally detained” on US territory “simply for being one of the main authors in ensuring the arrival of food, medicine and medical supplies in Venezuela”.
He stated that the United States, in a “blatant violation” of international law and the norms that offer security to all diplomats in the performance of their duties, disregarded the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and customary international law by depriving it of its liberty.
He similarly denounced Washington’s violation of Alex Saab’s human rights by denying him consular and family visits, denying him access to sunlight and keeping him in extremely cold conditions without adequate food or medical care.
All of this is happening, he stressed, even though the US government is aware of the diplomat’s condition as a stomach cancer survivor and “he is currently vomiting blood.”
Almost three years after the hijacking, the organization issued a renewed call for the United States to “return to the path of respect for international law, the rule of law and human rights” and release the illegally hijacked Saab.
The statement also called for the northern country’s authorities to respond to Venezuelan state calls for a political and negotiated settlement of the case.
jha/jcd