The following statement was issued by special envoy Alex Saab, a representative of the Venezuelan government who was kidnapped at the behest of the United States while trying to secure food and other supplies for the people of his blockaded country.
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My name is Alex Nain Saab Moran with Venezuelan diplomatic passport number 045778720. I am a special envoy with diplomatic immunity to the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran since April 2018 and Venezuelan ambassador plenipotentiary alternate to the African Union.
I was hijacked by Cape Verde on 12 June 2020, when my flight stopped to refuel on a special humanitarian mission to continue to the Islamic Republic of Iran by order of my president Nicolás Maduro Moros.
I was kidnapped without an arrest warrant as required by law in Cape Verde and without an Interpol warrant, in a country that has no extradition treaty with the USA, and they disregarded my diplomatic immunity although it was immediately claimed by Venezuela.
I was tortured physically and psychologically by the US and Cape Verde, with the consent of the government of Donald Trump, and members of the government of Cape Verde including Minister Landim, prime minister Ulysess Correia da Silva, head of national security Carlos Reiss, minister of government Paulo Rocha and director of the Sal prison Mr Correia for eight months with the economic support of USA, Juan Guaidó and the former head of security Ivan Simonivis, until the international pressure of your government and the decision of Ecowas/Cedeao to move me to house arrest could not contain it anymore.
The house arrest was a farce since I always remained locked up as in prison and watched 24 hours a day by an average of 50 military men. These men handled the keys to the house, in which I had no privacy or access to telephone or letters. I had to do everything through only one lawyer, Dr Pinto Monteiro, who was the only one authorised to visit me. My whole team of international lawyers was deported several times as soon as they landed in Cape Verde.
Cape Verde is a country that is a lackey of the empire, corrupt and cowardly. All my human rights there were violated; they violated their own laws, deadlines and terms at the whim and orders of the United States. Now the constitutional court has decided to violate 12 constitutional points in order to authorise my extradition to the USA.
I hold the US government and the extremist opposition of Venezuela fully responsible for my physical safety, for my life, in the prison to which they are taking me.
I will face trial with total dignity and asserting my diplomatic immunity as a servant of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela since April 2018.
I wish to make it clear that I have nothing to answer for to the United States; that I have not committed any crime in the US or in any other country; that I will not lie to enable the US against President Nicolás Maduro or his government, a government totally dedicated to the welfare of its people and which is going through an inhumane blockade by the United States that wants to take over the wealth of our country.
Let us surround our president and our government with a human shield and let us not allow ourselves to be defeated. They will never come back!
I declare that I am of sound mind, that I am not suicidal, just in case they assassinate me and say I committed suicide, which I would never do.
I love my wife Camilla and my children Shadi, Isham, Jad, Mariam Rose and Charlotte more than my own life.
I ask you to be strong and always stay united.
United we shall overcome! Always have faith in God.
