The VSC AGM took place on the 8th October 2022.
Submitted by the VSC Executive Committee.
This AGM Notes:
1)Alex Saab was arrested in Cape Verde (12 June 2020) by orders from the United States whilst carrying out official duties as a diplomat of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. This constitutes a grave violation of international law.
2)Alex Saab not only enjoyed diplomatic immunity when he was arrested in Cape Verde, he was in transit to another country conducting totally legal and legitimate activities –namely seeking to obtain food, medical supplies and other essential items for the people of Venezuela aimed at alleviating these aspects of the US blockade against Venezuela.
3)No due process of any kind has been followed in Saab’s arrest and even less in his extradition to face criminal charges in the United States; in fact, there is no extradition treaty between Cape Verde and the United States.
4)No satisfactory answer has been given by the Cape Verde authorities to the fact that Saab was subjected to physical torture seeking to extract a confession to falsely blame the Venezuelan government of conducting illegal activities.
5)Alex Saab was denied access to oncological cancer despite suffering from cancer until September 2021 and being officially demanded by the UN HHRR Committee twice, i.e., it took the Cape Verde courts nearly a year to allow him access to specialized medical attention.
6)The Cape Verde authorities completely ignored, twice, the verdict of the Court of Justice of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), of which Cape Verde is a member and whose rulings are mandatory, to immediately and unconditionally release him from detention.
7)Saab was held illegally and arbitrarily in detention in Cape Verde for 491 days and under trumped-up charges of seven counts of money laundering and one count of conspiracy he was extradited to be tried by a court in the city of Miami, U.S.; however, in November 2021, a Miami judge dropped seven of the eight charges against Alex Saab, thus he is being accused of ‘money laundering conspiracy’ for which he could be sentenced to 20 years in prison in the US.
8)In Sacred Oath (2022), memoirs of former US Defense Secretary, Mark Esper, wrote that Saab was arrested because to have “access to him could really help explain how Maduro and his regime worked […] It was important to get custody of him. This could provide a real roadmap for the U.S. government to unravel the Venezuelan government’s illicit plans and bring them to justice”; in other words, Saab’s detention and extradition was politically motivated.
This AGM Believes:
1)Alex Saab’s wife, Camila Fabri Saab, was absolutely right when recently (July 2022) she said: “The kidnapping of Alex Saab is part of an attack against Venezuela and seeks to teach a lesson against anyone who has the courage to defend their country’s sovereignty.”
2)It is long past time that the US government abide by international law and unconditionally release Alex Saab after years of torture and illegal detention. He has committed no crime.
This AGM Resolves:
1)To raise awareness of this case and the need to free Alex Saab.
2)To work with relevant other international campaigns and organizations to organize and online event and petition on this important matter.
