Argentine court orders arrest of President Maduro over human rights violations

A federal court in Argentina has ordered the immediate arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, citing allegations of crimes against humanity committed against political dissidents.

The ruling, issued on September 23, follows an appeal from Argentine prosecutor Carlos Stornelli after an earlier decision had dismissed the complaint against the two leaders, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

The court's resolution, signed by federal judges Pablo Bertuzzi, Leopoldo Bruglia, and Mariano Llorens, mandates that “the arrest warrants for Nicolás Maduro and Diosdado Cabello be executed immediately,” and requests that Interpol be involved in issuing international arrest warrants for their extradition to Argentina.

This ruling arrives amidst escalating tensions between Argentina and Venezuela, further intensified by a recent incident involving a cargo plane. Hours before the court's announcement, Venezuela's Supreme Court issued its own arrest warrant for Argentina's President Javier Milei. This was part of a diplomatic spat over the detention of a cargo plane in Argentina, which Washington claims was sold by a sanctioned Iranian airline to a Venezuelan state-owned company.

The conflict has grown increasingly pronounced since Milei, a far-right politician, took office in December 2023, leading to a breakdown in diplomatic relations between the two nations. The Argentine case against Maduro and Cabello was initiated by the Argentine Forum for Democracy in the Region (FADER) in early 2023, invoking Argentina’s legal framework on human rights and the principle of universal jurisdiction, which permits the prosecution of crimes against humanity regardless of where they were committed.

The plaintiffs have alleged that since 2014, there has been a systematic plan in Venezuela involving repression, forced disappearances, torture, and persecution of dissenters. The court's decision represents a significant step in Argentina's ongoing efforts to hold foreign leaders accountable for human rights violations.

By Khagan Isayev