Venezuela’s president Nicolas Maduro
Photo by JUAN BARRETO/AFP via Getty Images
Russia said that any judicial decisions by U.S. authorities concerning Venezuela‘s Nicolás Maduro would be illegal and lack legitimacy under international law following his capture by U.S. forces earlier this month.
Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said at a briefing that Maduro enjoys absolute immunity as a sitting head of state and is therefore beyond the jurisdiction of U.S. courts, as local news agency TASS reports:
“According to universally recognized norms of international law, based on the principle of sovereign equality of states, Nicolas Maduro, as head of state, enjoys absolute immunity from the jurisdiction of the United States and any other state, aside from Venezuela, of course”
Zakharova added that, regardless of any legal arguments put forward by Washington, Maduro’s seizure and detention constituted a serious breach of international law. “The very fact of his kidnapping and detention constitutes the grossest violation of the international legal obligations of the United States,” she said, adding that any court rulings would be “equally illegal” unless U.S. judges reconsidered their understanding of international law.
Moscow’s comments follow a formal condemnation issued on January 3, the day of Maduro’s capture, when Russia described the U.S. operation as an “act of armed aggression against Venezuela” and called for an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council.
Russia’s criticism has been echoed by other senior officials this week. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that the U.S. action in Venezuela amounted to a “gross violation of international law” and accused Washington of undermining the global system it helped create. Lavrov also linked the Venezuela operation to what he described as a broader pattern of unilateral U.S. actions, including threats toward Iran.
President Vladimir Putin, while not addressing Venezuela directly in public remarks on Thursday, said the international situation was deteriorating and criticized countries that, “by the right of might,” seek to dictate outcomes to others. He said Russia remained committed to a multipolar world order.
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