Mvezo Komkhulu (The Great Place), Wednesday 14th June 2023: We call for the immediate release of Alex Saab. His unlawful arrest and detention by the USA is a gross violation of international law and his diplomatic status.
Alex Saab is a Colombian-born Venezuelan who was appointed as a special envoy by the government of Venezuela in April 2018. In October 2021, Saab was extradited to the United States, where he faces one charge of conspiracy to launder money tied to a Venezuelan social housing program.
The continued detention of Alex Saab in the U.S. is a grave violation of his inviolability as Venezuela’s special envoy in transit on a special mission to Iran, which clearly recognized his status and has protested at his illegal arrest and detention.
Saab was arrested on his third special mission to Iran as a diplomatic envoy for the government of Venezuela during the height of the COVID pandemic.
We call for his immediate release and acquittal on the fabricated charge and call on all international agencies including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch to lobby for his immediate release.
ENDS
Nkosi Zwelivelile
Royal House of Mandela
Mvezo Komkhulu
P.O. Box 126
Viedgesville 5102
Eastern Cape Province
South Africa
