Pepe Mujica shakes Nicolás Maduro: "Venezuela's is an authoritarian government, you can call it a dictator"
Pepe Mujica, former president of Uruguay, has become the first leader to break away from the bloc supporting the Bolivarian revolution and criticize Nicolás Maduro’s recent attack on the opposition and civil society. In a departure from his previous support for Maduro, Mujica labeled the Venezuelan government as authoritarian, even going as far as to call it a dictatorship. This criticism aligns with the growing condemnation of Venezuela’s actions by various countries in the region.
The joint statement issued by Uruguay, Argentina, Ecuador, Costa Rica, Paraguay, and Guatemala expressed their concern over the imprisonment of activist Rocío San Miguel and the closure of the UN Human Rights Commissioner’s office in Caracas, as well as the disqualification of opposition leader María Corina Machado. They called for the immediate release of San Miguel and emphasized the need for respect for human rights in Venezuela.
The government of Uruguay, led by Luis Lacalle Pou, took further action by withdrawing its ambassador from Caracas, citing the evidence of dictatorship in Venezuela. This move sparked a heated response from Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodríguez, who referred to Pou as a “lackey of the empire.”
Mujica was not pleased with Rodríguez’s comment and emphasized the importance of respectful diplomatic relations. He criticized the hostile rhetoric often used by the Chavismo movement when facing international criticism.
While most leaders from the left and populist movements in the region remain silent or supportive of the Venezuelan government, Gabriel Boric, the progressive Chilean leader, has consistently raised concerns about human rights violations in Venezuela.
Machado called on Latin American governments to demand the continued presence of the UN High Commissioner’s Office in Venezuela, highlighting the need for international organizations to reject the actions taken by the Venezuelan government.