MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

OAS Permanent Council condemns ”lifting of the parliamentary immunity” of Venezuelan Deputies

The resolution was approved by 19 votes, 4 against, six abstentions and 5 absent from the floor

The Permanent Council of the Organization of American States (OAS) condemned on Wednesday ”the lifting of the parliamentary immunity of deputies José Guerra, Tomás Guanipa, Juan Pablo García and Rafael Guzmán, ordered on August 12, 2019, which constitutes a clear attack on the only legitimate and democratically elected body in Venezuela and another challenge to the rule of law.”

The Permanent Council called on the international community to “demand the full respect of the National Assembly of Venezuela and its deputies, as well as to reaffirm that the National Assembly is the only legitimate and democratically elected authority of Venezuela.” In addition, the member countries manifest their “deep concern for the systematic undermining of institutions in Venezuela, particularly reflected by the continuous harassment of the deputies of the National Assembly of Venezuela, confirming an antidemocratic pattern of conduct inconsistent with the Inter-American Democratic Charter.“

The ”Resolution on respect for Parliamentary immunity in Venezuela”: was approved with 19 votes in favor (Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, United States, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Saint Lucia and Venezuela), 4 votes against (Dominica, Nicaragua, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Suriname), 6 abstentions (Barbados, Belize, Bolivia, Mexico, Panama and Trinidad and Tobago) and 5 absent countries (Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Grenada, San Kitts and Nevis and Uruguay).

The document also resolves “to categorically reject the threat to unconstitutionally call for advanced elections of the National Assembly of Venezuela.”