The Federal Court No. 2 in Buenos Aires executed the order from the Federal Chamber to issue an international arrest warrant for Nicolás Maduro, President of Venezuela; Diosdado Cabello, Minister of Interior and Justice; and fourteen other officials from the country, with the aim of extradition to Argentina. 

Based on systematic crimes against humanity committed against the Venezuelan civilian population since 2014, the measure draws on documentary and testimonial evidence considered solid by the appellate court.

A ruling by the Federal Chamber, composed of judges Pablo Bertuzzi, Leopoldo Bruglia, and Mariano Llorens, granted the request of Attorney General José Agüero Iturbe and Carlos Stornelli, head of the Federal Criminal and Correctional Prosecutor’s Office No. 4.

Relying on the principle of universal jurisdiction, the investigation enables the Argentine judicial system to pursue serious crimes committed abroad when sufficient evidence links high-ranking officials to those acts. The court stressed that the process targets individuals within Venezuela’s state structure to stop ongoing abuses and prevent new victims.

Venezuelans in Argentina: one decade

Evidence collected includes testimonies from victims and judicial officials who obtained refuge in Argentina and other countries, as well as 17 reports from international organizations.

These reports were prepared by the United Nations Human Rights Council, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), the Organization of American States (OAS), and the Panel of Independent International Experts on crimes against humanity in Venezuela.

Additionally, reports from Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, Foro Penal, and 43 other Venezuelan civil society organizations were considered. 

The documents detail 88 serious violations committed between April and September 2017, affecting at least 314 victims in Caracas and 13 other states. Testimonies from Venezuelan exiles in Argentina describe kidnappings, torture, and extrajudicial executions.

Notable cases include the abduction and exile of a prosecutor investigating responsibility for a killing during the repression of a February 2014 protest, as well as the death of a victim beaten after attempting to document the crackdown on their cellphone. 

In summary, Argentine justice seeks to prosecute the top leadership of the Venezuelan government for systematic crimes against civilians, relying on strong evidence, international reports, and exile testimonies. The measure reflects Argentina’s commitment to justice under the principle of universal jurisdiction and to preventing further victims in Venezuela.