Above Photo: People walk past graffiti in favor of the release of Colombian businessman Alex Saab, amidst the Coronavirus pandemic, on the west side of the city in Caracas, Venezuela on September 8, 2021. Javier Campos / NurPhoto via Getty Images.
On Monday, Venezuela’s Vice President of Communication, Culture and Tourism Freddy Ñáñez released an audio with statements by Alex Saab which had been sent to the Code Pink organization.
In his message, Alex Saab made several complaints about his current situation as “prisoner of an unconventional war that the United States has unilaterally declared on us, imposing criminal sanctions on us that have caused terrible harm to the people of Venezuela.”
“The United States must return to the path of peace,” Saab added. “Venezuela is not its enemy. Political differences should not prevent us from maintaining diplomatic or economic relations between our nations.”
“The government of our President Nicolás Maduro has already extended his hand several times with the aim of re-establishing cordial relations with the United States—relations based on mutual respect,” Saab said from the Miami prison where he currently is being held. “It is time to leave the mistakes in the past and move on. I call for peace and reconciliation. It is time to shake hands.”
Letters to establish communication
In a webinar titled “Letter Writing For Alex Saab” and organized by Fire This Time and Code Pink, Camilla Fabri, wife of the diplomat, said: “Alex is my hero, he is a very brave man.”
She condemned the United States because, on top of all the violations to which Saab was subjected to in Cape Verde for more than 400 continuous days, the US then added the prohibition of consular visits, “due to the political conflicts that the United States maintains… Also family visits, which is everyone’s right.”
She then added that, “Alex has gone through a process of isolation and of extreme cold.”
Call for peace
Saab called for leaving mistakes in the past and moving forward. He called for peace and reconciliation: “it is time to shake hands.”
In the audio, he also thanked the Code Pink forum and Fire this Time for the support provided to both him and his family during the time that he has been illegally imprisoned.
At the time of his capture, in Cape Verde, Diplomat Alex Saab was negotiating to provide food and medical supplies to Venezuela.