Five of Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s closest aides who were hiding inside the Argentine embassy in Caracas have fled the country with the assistance of the United States government, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Machado said Tuesday evening in separate posts on X.
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The five were some of the most trusted allies to Machado, who spearheaded the strongest movement to oppose Nicolas Maduro’s 12-year rule yet.
“The US welcomes the successful rescue of all hostages held by the Maduro regime at the Argentinian Embassy in Caracas,” Rubio said on X. “Following a precise operation, all hostages are now safely on US soil.”
Machado hailed their escape as “an impeccable and epic operation for the freedom of five heroes”.
It is unclear what, if any, reprisals Maduro would take against Machado and the hundreds of political prisoners remaining in the country. Already, many of Maduro’s prisoners endure torture by security forces that have been describes by the UN as crimes against humanity. Venezuela’s information minister did not respond to a request for comment.
While the timing of said operation was unclear, Maduro and some of his top officials spent several hours flying to Moscow on Tuesday. Maduro was set to attend a parade marking the 80th anniversary of the World War II victory over Nazi Germany by Moscow and its allies.
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