The US Took Saab Away In Violation of International Law: Maduro

On Sunday, Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro strongly condemned the arbitrary extradition of Special Envoy Alex Saab from Cape Verde to the United States.

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"The U.S. empire took Saab away in violation of international law, which grants protection to diplomats abroad,” Maduro stated, adding that his administration will bring this case before all multilateral human rights organizations.

On June 12, 2020, Saab was detained in Cape Verde for allegedly "overvaluing contracts" of house construction in Venezuela and allowing Maduro to “benefit" from the import of food through the Local Committees for Supply and Production (CLAP), which is a public program to counteract the impact of the U.S. economic sanctions.

Despite the International Criminal Police Organization (INTERPOL) issued the alert that requested Saab’s arrest the day after his imprisonment, Cape Verde’s Constitutional Court approved his extradition to the U.S. on Sept. 7.

"Cape Verde authorities sold themselves out to the U.S., which knew that Saab’s extradition would ruin our dialogues with the Venezuelan opposition in Mexico since this diplomat is part of our delegation,” Maduro explained.

On Sunday, hundreds of Venezuelans took to the streets of Caracas to protest against Saab’s extradition. The Bolivarian government described this initiative as a youth-filled rally for truth and freedom.

"We must continue our battle against U.S. imperialism, which does not want peace or justice for Venezuela," Maduro concluded.