Venezuelan Diplomat Alex Saab Is a Prisoner of War, Iran Says

On Monday, Iran's Foreign Affairs Ministry spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh pointed out that the arrest of Venezuela's Special Envoy Alex Saab is a dangerous development for international law.

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"Iran strongly condemns any action that is contrary to the principles of international relations and hinders the activities of diplomats," he said, adding that the U.S. attempt to extradite a government envoy to a third country severely deteriorates international law and relations between countries.

About the U.S. moves for the extradition of Ambassador Saab, the Iranian spokesman said that "diplomatic law and its observance is a matter of international law and the Vienna Convention has clearly defined its framework."

"Mr. Alex Saab, holding a diplomatic passport and as an envoy of the Venezuelan government to provide medical and food items to the Venezuelan people, had the mission to prevent the U.S. government from enforcing its national and extraterritorial laws solely for political purposes," Khatibzadeh said.

Previouly, on Aug. 9, Saab’s Cabo Verde defense team submitted a criminal complaint against Luis Tavares, Prosecutor General of Cabo Verde, and Natalino Correia, Domingos de Pina, and Mauricio Monteiro, three police inspectors of the Judiciary Police of Sal.

All of them, who were involved in the planning and execution of the illegal arrest of Saab on June 12, 2020, are also charged with the crimes of corruption, torture, ill-treatment, and failure to provide appropriate medical care.

The Defense Team recalled that complaints against torture, concealment of evidence, police perjury, and denial of appropriate medical care were filed with the relevant local authorities on several occasions last year. There has been no response to these complaints and no investigation.