International Desk, (EFE).- Five Venezuelan opposition figures who had taken asylum in Argentina’s embassy in Caracas are now on United States territory, following what Washington calls a “rescue,” while both the Argentine and Venezuelan governments also claim roles in the extraction, each offering differing s of how it unfolded.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that the five asylum seekers were safely evacuated from Argentina’s embassy in Venezuela and had arrived in the US.
“The US welcomes the successful rescue of all hostages held by the Maduro regime at the Argentinian Embassy in Caracas.” Rubio posted on X.
He described the operation as “precise” and expressed gratitude to the teams involved. “These Venezuelan heroes are now safe,” he added.
The group includes Pedro Urruchurtu, Omar González, Claudia Macero, Humberto Villalobos, all of María Corina Machado’s opposition party, Vente Venezuela, and former minister Fernando Martínez, an advisor to the opposition coalition Plataforma Unitaria Democrática (PUD).
Since Mar. 2024, the five had been holed up inside the Argentine ambassador’s residence under heavy police surveillance and deteriorating conditions.
They sought asylum following charges from Venezuela’s attorney general that included conspiracy and treason.
Despite Argentina’s diplomats having been expelled, the embassy was under Brazil’s protection, though that status was later revoked by Caracas.
Machado hailed the operation as “epic” and promised more efforts to free political prisoners. “My deepest gratitude to all who made this possible,” she wrote on X. “We will free every one of the 900 political prisoners and 30 million Venezuelans.”
Venezuelan media points to negotiated exit with safe-conducts
Venezuelan state-aligned broadcaster Telesur offered a different version on Wednesday, citing local sources who said the opposition figures were granted safe-conduct es by the Maduro government after “high-level negotiations.”
Journalist Vladimir Villegas echoed this in a series of posts on X, saying: “Undoubtedly there was a negotiation. And negotiating is not betraying.”
Villegas, brother of Venezuela’s culture minister, also noted that the Brazilian Embassy in Caracas may not have played a direct role, although some form of Brazilian involvement “can’t be ruled out.”
The opposition leaders had spent over a year inside the embassy.
The activists are all staff of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who went into hiding after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro proclaimed himself the winner of the disputed 2024 elections.
In December, the opponents said they were under “siege” by Venezuelan security forces after Argentine diplomats were expelled and the residence was placed under Brazilian diplomatic custody.
Rubio, in his statement, maintained that Venezuela’s government had “undermined democratic institutions, violated human rights, and endangered regional security.”
Argentina credits US but claims months of quiet planning
In Buenos Aires, presidential spokesperson Manuel Adorni stated on Wednesday that the asylum-seekers’ departure was the result of months of secret work beginning when Donald Trump returned to the White House in January.
Adorni thanked the US, and Rubio in particular, for their role, referring to the operation as a “successful extraction” and clarifying that “there was no negotiation” with the Maduro regime.
“Dictators are extortionists by nature,” Adorni said in a press briefing, adding that Argentina remains focused on securing the release of Nahuel Gallo, an Argentine gendarme detained in Venezuela since December.
“We’re working in absolute confidentiality, just as we did with this extraction,” he noted.
After the US announcement, Argentine President Javier Milei’s office released a statement thanking “everyone involved” and emphasizing the cooperation between allies.
Though details remain unclear, the coordinated narrative suggests that the departure of the five opposition involved multiple actors, parallel diplomatic efforts, and intense secrecy.
None of the governments involved have publicly disclosed how the asylum seekers physically left Venezuelan territory. EFE
int-seo/mcd
