Venezuelan government surprised by ‘rescue’ from Argentine residence, opposition says

(Reuters): Venezuela’s opposition on Wednesday said that the government of President Nicolas Maduro had been surprised by the “international rescue” operation to remove five Venezuelan members of the opposition who had been living in Argentina’s diplomatic residence in Caracas.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on Tuesday that the five opposition staffers, who had been living in the residence since March 2024 after warrants were issued for their arrest, were now on U.S. soil.

“This operation is a testimony to the dedication of many people, who, to the surprise of the regime of Nicolas Maduro, managed to break the chains of oppression,” the opposition coalition said in a statement shared on X.

The Venezuelan government has not commented on the operation and did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent by Reuters on Tuesday or Wednesday. Maduro has been in Russia this week, where he met with Russian President Vladimir Putin and signed a strategic partnership.

The opposition coalition said the five staffers would share reflections about their experience “in the coming days.” Reuters was unable to independently confirm their current location.

While in the Argentine residence, the five had regularly used social media to share videos of state security forces outside the building, where the electricity and water were repeatedly cut, sometimes for weeks at a time.

The statement from the opposition thanked U.S. President Donald Trump, Rubio and Argentine President Javier Milei for their role in the operation.

It did not give further details. An initial version of the statement shared on X said the operation was “coordinated by the United States and other democratic allies.” That version was later deleted and replaced with a second version which did not contain that mention.

Former opposition presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez, who is living in Spain, thanked the U.S. and Argentina for “acting with determination” in his own post on X.

“What they did is more than an operation, it is a clear message to the country and the world,” Gonzalez said.

The Argentine residence in Caracas has been under Brazilian custody since Buenos Aires cut relations with Maduro’s government over the 2024 election, which the opposition and its backers say Gonzalez won.

Brazil was not involved in any operation to remove the staffers from the residence, a Brazilian diplomatic source said on Wednesday. Brazil’s government said in a statement that it had repeatedly tried to obtain safe passage for the staffers, however.

“The repeated attempts were not heeded, which prolonged the difficult humanitarian situation at the Argentine embassy residence in Caracas, which was surrounded by security forces. The announcement of the departure puts an end to this episode and to the drama experienced by the asylum seekers for more than 400 days,” the statement said.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado hailed the operation late on Tuesday and called for the release of 900 other politicians and activists detained last year.

Two sources told Reuters on Wednesday that Machado’s elderly mother – 85-year-old Corina Parisca de Machado – had also left Venezuela.

Since the election, Machado, who is in hiding in Venezuela, has regularly complained of security forces gathering outside her mother’s home.