Venezuelan Migrants Detained in El Salvador Are Victims of Crimes Against Humanity: Saab
Tarek William Saag. X/ @PrensadeMonagas
March 31, 2025 Hour: 2:06 pm
“The only ‘evidence’ against them is their nationality,” the Bolivarian Attorney General pointed out.
On Monday, Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab denounced that at least 250 Venezuelans have been arbitrarily detained in El Salvador, where they have been subjected to cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment.
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During a press conference, Saab referred to emblematic cases of migrant detentions, including that of artist Arturo Suarez, whose release has been demanded by international artists such Ruben Blades.
“The only ‘evidence’ against them is their nationality. They are accused because of tattoos with their parents’ names or the Real Madrid crest. This is unprecedented in international law,” Saab stated.
By engaging in acts of discrimination based on nationality, El Salvador is violating the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, despite the fact that the Central American country has signed the Rome Statute, the Venezuelan prosecutor said, decribing the Center for the Confinement of Terrorism (CECOT), El Salvador’s maximum-security prison, as “the most terrifying place of imprisonment on the planet.”
“Many die there, and no one finds out,” Saab stated, noting that CECOT prisoners are forced to sit on the floor without food or water. Their families are unaware of their whereabouts since that prison operates like a concentration camp.
“These are crimes the world cannot ignore,” Saab said, announcing that the Venezuelan Attorney General’s Office will bring these human rights violation cases to international courts.
Currently, 250 Venezuelan migrants are detained in El Salvador and accused of belonging to the Aragua Train, a criminal gang that Venezuelan authorities dismantled some time ago. However, none of the arrested migrants appear on the Venezuelan Attorney General’s international wanted lists.
“Over 50 members of the Aragua Train are imprisoned in Venezuela. Others have been killed, and the rest are under red alerts. Why is El Salvador detaining civilians who are not even wanted?” Saab questioned.
The Venezuelan Attorney General will present evidence before the International Criminal Court (ICC) regarding the treatment of Venezuelan migrants. Among this evidence is an unpublished video showing the conditions at CECOT, where “detainees are treated like animals.”
teleSUR/ JF
Sources: VTV – FG
