Venezuela’s Aviation Authority said flights will resume the day after Sunday’s parliamentary elections.
Venezuela has suspended flights from nearby Colombia after authorities detained more than 30 people who are allegedly planning to work to destabilise the country before Sunday’s parliamentary elections.
Venezuela’s Home Minister Diosdado Cabello announced on state television on Monday that the flight ban would be “immediate” and last for a week.
The arrests were released in the same way as an independent panel of experts who released a report documenting serious human rights abuses in Venezuela in the aftermath of the July 28, 2024 presidential election.
Cabello said the anti-government plan would include placing explosives at embassies, hospitals and police stations in Venezuela. He said authorities had detained 21 Venezuelans and 17 foreigners, some of whom retained citizenship in Colombia, Mexico and Ukrainian. Cabello said that detained people arrived from Colombia, some by plane, others by land, but originally departed from other – unknown countries.
Without providing evidence, Cabello said the group included explosive devices, human smugglers and mercenary experts, and was working with members of Venezuela’s political opposition.
“The scenario they want to present is that there is no condition for Venezuela to hold an election,” Cabello said, referring to the opposition.
Colombian Foreign Ministry said in a statement it had not received information from the Venezuelan government regarding the detention of Colombian citizens.
Colombia’s Civil Aviation Authority confirmed that commercial flights between the countries have been suspended, and Venezuela’s Aviation Authority said the measure will continue until Monday, May 26th, at 6pm in the region.
“Political oppression”
President Nicholas Maduro’s government was re-elected for a third term in July 2024, and many in the international community have been rejected as fraud, often claiming it is a coup plot supporting us and Colombia.
In an interview with AFP news agency last week over Zoom, hidden opposition leader Maria Korina Machado after last year’s presidential election pledged to boycott voters on Sunday. [voting] Empty Center.”
Opposition parties say the tally of results from the July vote showed a clear victory over former diplomat Edmundo Gonzalez Urtia, who was exiled in Spain after cracking down on dissent.
An independent panel of experts supported by the American state organization on Monday wrote in the report that the post-election period in Venezuela saw “the most serious and refined stage of political oppression in Venezuela’s modern history.” This includes the enforcement of unarmed protesters, the loss of enforced failure and arbitrary detention. They also pointed out that the state has expanded its target of oppression beyond political opponents and human rights advocates, including pollers, election witnesses, parents of opposition members, minors, and more.
The diplomatic protests following last year’s election have broken Venezuela’s ties with several countries and flight routes. Some airlines have cancelled their operations with the state due to unpaid debt.
Venezuela and Colombia resumed their flight routes in November 2022 after the election of Colombia’s first left-wing president, President Gustavo Petro.
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