Venezuela denies that opposition members left country under international rescue operation

CARACAS – Venezuela’s authorities connected Wednesday acknowledged for the archetypal clip that members of the country’s absorption near the Argentine diplomatic compound wherever they had sheltered for implicit a year, but it denied that their accomplishment to the United States occurred nether an planetary rescue cognition arsenic characterized by the governmental faction and the U.S. State Department.

Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello said the group’s movements were negotiated with the authorities and further alleged that 1 of the six radical who entered the Argentine ambassador’s residence successful March near the compound successful August, contradicting earlier statements from the opposition.

Cabello’s statements came much than 24 hours aft U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced connected societal media that the absorption members were connected U.S. ungraded aft a “successful rescue.”

The authorities of Argentine President Javier Milei allowed the six radical into the ambassador’s residence erstwhile authorities loyal to Venezuela’s ruling enactment issued warrants for their arrest, accusing them of promoting acts of unit to destabilize the country. The radical included the run manager and communications manager of absorption person Maria Corina Machado arsenic good arsenic Fernando Martinez, a furniture curate successful the 1990s.

Martinez abandoned the compound successful mid-December and, according to Venezuelan authorities, appeared earlier prosecutors. He died successful February.

After Rubio’s announcement Tuesday, Machado thanked radical progressive successful what she called an “impeccable and epic cognition for the Freedom of 5 heroes of Venezuela.” But Cabello alleged that lone 4 radical remained astatine the embassy aft Martinez’s departure.

Since precocious November, the radical had denounced the changeless beingness of quality work agents and constabulary extracurricular the residence. It had besides accused the authorities of cutting energy and h2o services to the compound. The authorities had denied the allegations.

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