MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Argentine Embassy in Caracas with no electricity and water

One of the pictures posted by Urruchurtu on social media showing Venezuelan Police outside the Embassy

Venezuelan Police kept harassing the building of what used to be Argentina's Embassy in Caracas now guarded by Brazil since the diplomatic breakup. President Nicolás Maduro's regime targets six aides of opposition leader María Corina Machado who sought asylum there but were never granted safe passage to the airport after Buenos Aires agreed to welcome them. The premises have been without electricity for the past five days and with no water supply for two, the refugees said on social media.

”The police siege continues (almost 120 hours) to the official residence of the Argentine Embassy in Caracas, guarded by Brazil,” wrote Pedro Urruchurtu on X. The former international coordinator of Vente Venezuela (Machado's party) is one of the asylum seekers. Urruchurtu reported the moment when workers from the Hidrocapital water company reached the diplomatic building to interrupt all supply. In addition to cutting all electricity and water supply, the Chavista regime prevented a tanker truck with drinking water from entering the site.

Hence, Plataforma Unitaria Democrática (PUD) -the opposition group that allegedly won the July 28 elections despite the National Electoral Council (CNE) announcing otherwise- urged the Brazilian government to pressure the Bolivarian administration into halting the siege and granting safe conduits to the refugees.

“More attention and pressure is demanded from Brazil and Argentina on the siege situation in the Argentine embassy. No one can remain silent! The international community must press for an end to the criminal siege of the Argentine embassy and the issuance of safe-conducts for the six comrades in asylum there as soon as possible,” the opposition coalition demanded on its social networks.

Since November 23, the six asylum seekers in the Argentine Embassy have denounced the presence of officers from different state security agencies around the embassy. Joining Urruchurtu are Magalli Meda, Claudia Macero, Omar González, Fernando Martínez, and Humberto Villalobos, all of them advisors of Machado's.