Diplomat Alex Saab returns to his homeland after being unjustly kidnapped for more than 3 years
The Venezuelan Government confirmed on Wednesday the release of diplomat Alex Saab, who was extradited to the United States (U.S.) in October 2021 from Cape Verde, after his detention and a process against him, described by his defense as illegal. teleSUR
Transcript
00:00 We go live to Venezuela, where there's a recent communication from the government announcing
00:08 that Alex Saab, the diplomatic, has been finally released.
00:15 This is brand news from the government of Venezuela.
00:18 The official communique says that the government of Venezuela celebrates with jubilee the release
00:24 and return to his homeland of diplomat Alex Saab, who had been unfairly kidnapped at a
00:35 North American prison.
00:38 The people received him with pride.
00:41 We're going over the official statement released by the government of Venezuela.
00:48 Alex Saab had been unfairly detained, illegally detained and kidnapped in the United States
00:55 of America, and has now been finally released after an exchange that has been reached with
01:06 the government of the United States.
01:08 Let's go over some context.
01:11 Saab had been arbitrarily captured in Cape Verde on the 12th of June, 2020, when the
01:20 plane he was traveling in doing a humanitarian mission landed in that African nation in order
01:27 to refuel before continuing its journey to Iran while he was, as we were saying, on a
01:35 humanitarian mission.
01:37 Saab's detention was in violation of international law as he serves as a Venezuelan diplomat,
01:47 which made his detention illegal, even though and despite all the measures imposed by international
01:58 law, the diplomat was still held hostage and then transferred to the United States, where
02:07 he remained kidnapped until his official liberation was announced today.
02:17 Saab is also part of the government delegation at a dialogue table in Mexico with the country's
02:24 opposition, and after spending more than 491 days imprisoned without an arrest, warrant
02:34 or due process, and after being the victim of torture and degraded treatment, Saab was
02:40 transferred to the United States, finally, on October 16, 2021, where he has been held
02:49 for more than a thousand days under alleged charges of money laundering.
02:57 Alex Saab's efforts were key to being able to bring food and medicines from various countries
03:04 to Venezuela, all of this within the framework of the illegal economic, financial and commercial
03:13 blockade imposed by the United States against the South American country.
03:23 So let's recall, we are going over breaking news as the Venezuelan government is announcing
03:33 the liberation after years of constant claim of diplomat Alex Saab, who had been illegally
03:44 detained on June the 12th, 2020, in the midst of the crisis onset by the COVID-19 pandemic.
04:00 Just recall that Alex Saab was at that time part of a humanitarian mission, which was
04:09 meant to bring food and medicine to the Venezuelan people, both in the middle of the pandemic
04:21 and trying to face the illegal commercial blockade imposed on Venezuela.
04:28 It was in this context that Alex Saab was illegally detained in Cape Town and later
04:43 on in the year 2021, he was then transferred to the United States, where he continued to
04:51 be kidnapped as his detention went against many measures in the international law.
05:03 Let's recall that Alex Saab was a diplomat at the time of his imprisonment and that status
05:12 is what made his detention both arbitrary and illegal.