People from all over the world denounce the political and spurious nature of the trial against Alex Saab, and demand the U.S. to release him. | Photo: National Assembly of Venezuela

Caracas, December 25 (RHC)-- The Government of Venezuela has categorically rejected the decision adopted by a Judge of the Southern District of Florida, in the United States, which disregards the diplomatic immunity of Venezuelan special envoy Alex Naim Saab Morán, who is facing a politically motivated trial in that country.

In a statement, the Venezuelan government denounced that the decision of Judge Robert M. Scola "constitutes a frank and gross violation of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations."  It stated that his ruling "ignores the international obligations assumed by the United States of America as a State Party to that international instrument, including the duty to respect the inviolability and immunity of diplomatic agents in transit between two States."

In the opinion of the Bolivarian Government, "the aforementioned judicial decision sets a dangerous precedent in the relations between States, by allowing the U.S. authorities to violate the inviolability of official correspondence and diplomatic personnel, based on an illegitimate and unilateral declaration of 'ignorance' of the authorities of the accrediting State, in violation of the popular sovereignty of Venezuela."

According to the text, this judicial decision becomes a new violation of Saab Morán's human rights, since it "prolongs his illegitimate deprivation of liberty and adds to the violations of due process and personal integrity of which he has been a victim since his arbitrary apprehension by the authorities of the Government of the Republic of Cape Verde and his subsequent kidnapping to the United States of America."

For the Venezuelan Government, to have chosen the eve of Christmas to commit this new outrage against Caracas and yet another outrage against its diplomat is an act of imperial, cruel and cynical arrogance.

Finally, Venezuela assured that "the U.S. is obliged to release Alex Naim Saab, a good and innocent man, in compliance with international law."  Furthermore, it ratified that "it will not rest until justice is done and his full freedom is achieved."

Saab Morán was appointed special envoy by the Venezuelan government in April 2018.  He was illegally detained by orders of the White House in Cape Verde, in June 2020.  When he was apprehended, he was fulfilling the Venezuelan Government's assignment to provide food, medicines and fuel to the South American country, affected by the White House's pressure measures.

The trial against him, for alleged money laundering, is actually an act of retaliation for his work to help overcome the criminal effects of the unilateral coercive measures imposed by the U.S. against Venezuela.