The People’s Power Minister for Foreign Relations, Jorge Arreaza, assured this Wednesday that the six ex-Citgo executives, detained in Venezuela since 2017, have fully guaranteed their human rights and protection measures against COVID-19.
Through his Twitter account @jaarreaza, the Foreign Minister shared photographs of the detainees in physical training activities and access to phone calls, and a video in which José Pereira, in company with the other five former executives, attests that the Conditions of detention “have been good”, as well as respect for human rights and food.
“While in the US hundreds of detainees have lost their lives due to COVID-19 contagion, in Venezuela we take measures to prevent it. The US intends to continue justifying its attacks with lies about the 6 Venezuelans ‘exCitgo’, today being prosecuted by the Venezuelan justice”, The Venezuelan diplomat denounced through the aforementioned social network.
Mientras en EEUU cientos de detenidos han perdido la vida por contagio de #Covid_19, en Venezuela tomamos medidas para evitarlo. EEUU pretende seguir justificando sus agresiones con mentiras sobre los 6 venezolanos “exCitgo”, hoy siendo procesados por la justicia venezolana pic.twitter.com/ICb2rH2lww
— Jorge Arreaza M (@jaarreaza) June 18, 2020
In another message, Minister Arreaza explained that as stipulated by Venezuelan legislation, “their human rights, their family contacts, their food, their sports and recreational activities, their right to health and preventive measures before COVID-19 and any other disease, are fully guaranteed”.
Tal como estipula nuestra legislación, sus derechos humanos, sus contactos familiares, su alimentación, sus actividades deportivas y de recreación, su derecho a la salud y las medidas de prevención ante el #COVID_19 y cualquier otra enfermedad, se garantizan plenamente. pic.twitter.com/wiHN2rFkQt
— Jorge Arreaza M (@jaarreaza) June 18, 2020
The testimony of the detained former director and the Foreign Minister’s assertions sufficiently deny the statements of Roger Carstens, the US Special Envoy for Hostage Affairs, who said on Twitter that the former Citgo executives were in mortal danger, several of them showing symptoms associated with the new coronavirus.
Former Citgo President José Ángel Pereira and former Vice-presidents Tomeu Vadell, Jorge Toledo, Gustavo Cárdenas, Alirio José Zambrano and José Luis Zambrano have been detained since November 21, 2017 in Venezuela, accused of fraudulent embezzlement, money laundering and association for commit crimes, among other crimes.