The Trump administration expressed deep concern over U.S. nationals detained in Venezuela as reports come in that detainees are being prevented from communicating with their legal counsel and are being deliberately withheld food and medicine by the Maduro regime.
The Maduro regime has arrested five CITGO executives, all of whom are U.S. and Venezuelan dual citizens, on charges of corruption and conspiracy against the Venezuela regime over the last year. All five individuals, who hail from Texas, Louisiana, and Virginia, have reportedly lost significant amounts of weight and have been deprived of certain basic rights under Venezuela’s penal system, according to the Houston Chronicle.
“The former Maduro regime is incapable of providing adequate nutrition to detainees in its prison system. We call on security forces and prison officials to allow the U.S. detainees to receive supplementary dietary assistance through their families or attorneys, to ensure they have access to medical care, and to afford these individuals a fair and transparent judicial process,” the statement released by the State Department on Friday said.
State Department deputy spokesperson Robert Palladino said in the statement Friday the State Department has been monitoring the reports coming from the South American country and has vowed it will continue pushing the Maduro regime to leave U.S. nationals and members of the opposition untouched.
“In one case, Maduro’s broken judicial system has detained five dual U.S. citizen CITGO employees in Venezuela – along with one U.S. legal permanent resident – for more than a year without a scheduled hearing or any semblance of a fair and transparent judicial process. We understand these men are suffering from chronic health conditions related to their incarceration and inhumane treatment,” the State Department’s statement Friday said.
The power struggle between the strongman Maduro and U.S.-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido continues to cast uncertainty on the political and economic stability in the region. Maduro’s regime, which is supported by the Russians and the Chinese as well as by communist-leaning regional allies, is challenged by the opposition, led by Juan Guaido, who is supported by the U.S., Colombia, and other Western allies. Guaido, who had been the president of the country’s National Assembly, declared himself the nation’s interim president in January.
As the Maduro regime continues to crack down on any element considered a threat to its claim to power, the State Department has issued a travel advisory warning U.S. nationals to avoid Venezuela and that the U.S. can’t guarantee the safety of U.S. nationals in Venezuela. The State Department has also recalled most of its embassy and consular staff.
Last week, American Airlines responded to the travel advisory against Venezuela issued by the State Department, saying that it would be suspending all of its operations out of Miami to Caracas and Maracaibo. United Airlines also suspended its flights to Venezuela from its Houston hub in response to the growing lack of safety for U.S. nationals.
