The spokesperson of the European External Action Service called on Thursday 9 May for the immediate release of Edgar Zambrano, Vice-President of the National Assembly of Venezuela, detained by his country's secret services. The spokesperson described this arrest as "another violation of the country’s Constitution".
According to the spokesperson, it is a "politically motivated action aimed at silencing the National Assembly", the only political institution in the hands of the opposition to the Maduro regime and chaired by Juan Guaidó, who has proclaimed himself President of Venezuela.
Europeans promise to react to any further erosion of the rule of law in the country through "policy instruments" at their disposal, i.e. the possibility of further targeted sanctions against the Maduro regime.
The arrest of Mr Zambrano, which follows other arrests in Mr Guaidó's entourage, shows that the Maduro regime, far from being destabilized by Mr Guaidó's recent Operación Libertad, is gradually tightening the clamp around the President of the National Assembly. The arrest comes just after the third ministerial meeting of the International Contact Group on Venezuela, attended by eight EU Member States.
In addition to announcing a continued presence in Venezuela to facilitate international humanitarian delivery, the contact group outlined options for a political and peaceful solution to the Venezuelan crisis that it intends to test with stakeholders during a forthcoming mission to Caracas.
"We have always been clear that there must be no military intervention, either inside or outside the country", reiterated the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini, who spoke Tuesday 7 May from Costa Rica, where the ministerial meeting took place. This is a way for the EU to continuously differentiate itself from the US position, which does not exclude such an option. (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)