Canada is “gravely alarmed” by the detention of two of Venezuela’s opposition leaders who were taken from their homes in the middle of the night by state security agents on Tuesday, said Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Antonio Ledezma and Leopoldo Lopez were rearrested in what was seen as President Nicolas Maduro’s first move against his enemies following a controversial vote on Sunday that gave his Socialist government sweeping powers to reshape the country’s political landscape and rewrite its constitution.
Lopez, a 46-year-old hardliner, was being held under house arrest after he was convicted and sentenced to more than a decade in prison on charges that include inciting protesters to violence in 2014. He was released last month to serve the rest of his term under house arrest.
Ledezma, 62, a veteran politician and the former mayor of Caracas, was also indicted for plotting to overthrow Maduro’s government in 2015 and had been held under house arrest.
An escape plan thwarted?
Venezuela’s Supreme Court on Tuesday said the two men have been jailed because they violated the terms of their house arrest.
In a Facebook post explaining its decision, the court said they were removed from their homes after “official intelligence sources” determined there was an “escape plan” involving both men.
The court added that Lopez isn’t permitted to engage in any sort of political activism and Ledezma is prohibited from speaking to media outlets.
‘Dictatorial intentions’
“Canada is gravely alarmed by the unlawful detention of Venezuelan opposition leaders Antonio Ledezma and Leopoldo López, the latter with whom I spoke less than two weeks ago,” Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland said in a statement Tuesday. “Their detention is further proof of the regime’s dictatorial intentions.”
Canada calls for their immediate release, as well as the release of all political prisoners, Freeland said.
“The Maduro government’s campaign of repression is unacceptable. We urge the Venezuelan government to respect the autonomy and authority of the national assembly and other independent institutions,” Freeland said, referring to the fact that the newly elected National Constituent Assembly has the power to dissolve the opposition-controlled Congress. “The national assembly is the only legitimately elected legislative body in Venezuela: it must be respected and its full powers must be restored.”
Canada will continue to work with like-minded partners in support of the Venezuelan people, said Adam Austen, Freeland’s press secretary.
Conservative MP Peter Kent, the Foreign Affairs critic for the Official Opposition, urged the Liberal government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to follow the U.S. lead and “issue meaningful sanctions on the Maduro regime.”
“The arbitrary re-arrest of Venezuela’s opposition leaders is further proof of President Maduro’s desperation and illegitimacy,” Kent said. “We wholeheartedly condemn the extreme socialist policies which have plunged Venezuela into chaos while inflicting mass starvation on its people.”
No Canadian sanctions yet
The U.S. government branded Maduro “a dictator” Monday and announced that it’s freezing his U.S. assets, following the controversial vote for the National Constituent Assembly.
Canada commended the U.S. action but was not ready to follow U.S. sanctions yet, said a Canadian official speaking on background. Freeland’s statement also made no mention of Canadian sanctions targeting Venezuelan officials.
NDP Foreign Affairs critic Hélène Laverdière said her party remains deeply concerned about the human cost of the ongoing political, economic, and humanitarian crisis in Venezuela, which has hit ordinary people hard with shortages of food and medicine.
“On the heels of Sunday’s illegitimate constituent assembly vote, it’s more important than ever for Canada to work with our allies and through multilateral groups like the OAS to secure a lasting resolution to the crisis,” Laverdière said in an emailed statement.
“We would like to see the government be more active in providing humanitarian assistance, calling for the release of political prisoners, the holding of elections and respecting the National Assembly.”
Canada could also boost funding to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, which was cut by the previous Conservative government, Laverdière said.
With files from The Associated Press, Reuters and CBC News
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