Venezuelan opposition in siege status hidden in embassy

Venezuelan opposition in siege status hidden in embassy

The Argentine ambassador's residence in Caracas, Venezuela, is filled with an oppressive silence these days. Instead of diplomatic conversations or Christmas carols, the only sounds are the whirring of a small diesel generator that residents turn on twice a day to charge their phones.

Isolation of the diplomatic mission

The rest of the time the villa remains almost unmoved. The few remaining residents are busy with their own, lonely tasks, almost like in an oversized prison with few inmates. The ambassador was expelled by the Venezuelan government following the disputed presidential election in July, shortly after President Nicolás Maduro declared himself the winner and Buenos Aires challenged it.

Asylum seekers under siege

Instead, five political asylum seekers - all members of Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado's team - have found refuge in the residence for more than nine months. Now they are reporting a “siege” by the Venezuelan security forces. "The pressure from the government has increased in recent weeks. Psychological torture, we are under constant surveillance and no one can visit us without authorization... the psychological damage to which we are subjected is enormous," Omar González explained in a virtual press conference earlier this month.

Elections and international reactions

After the July elections, the opposition released tens of thousands of election receipts, which they cited as evidence that their candidate, Edmundo González, had won the election. Independent observers and election experts attested to the authenticity of these documents and questioned the electoral authority's decision to recognize Maduro as the winner. Edmundo González has now fled into exile in Spain as Maduro prepares to begin his new term in office on January 10th. González has publicly promised to return to Venezuela in January to install his own government, although it remains unclear how he could return to the country without risk of prosecution.

Growing threats to the opposition

In March, six opposition figures were charged with terrorist activities and treason for collaborating with Machado. This went underground shortly after the election for security reasons. While Maduro's government occasionally denied that the diplomatic residence was under siege, it also announced that the group would soon end up behind bars. Machado's team maintains they did nothing wrong, but has no doubt they would be arrested if they left the residence.

Living conditions of asylum seekers

The group decided to publicly address the media after security measures were tightened around the residence, which has been under Brazilian diplomatic protection since the Argentine diplomats were expelled. The green and yellow Brazilian flag now flies over the residence, but no officials are present to keep company. Venezuelan security forces have set up a series of checkpoints to monitor access to the residence, but so far have not been able to get inside.

Electricity and water shortages

The pressure on their refuge is increasing. On November 26, Venezuela's state-owned energy company shut off power. Security forces have also taken control of surrounding buildings, and last week the Secretary General of the Organization of American States, Luis Almagro, posted a photo of a person apparently watching the building from a nearby tree - with a sniper rifle in his hand.

Drones regularly fly over the site, and Venezuelan police units have threatened to enter the residence on several occasions, mostly at dawn, according to González and the others who are asking other countries to intervene. Argentina granted all six asylum in March, but the five who remain at the residence have no way of getting there without risking arrest along the way.

Life under extreme conditions

In interviews, the asylum seekers describe a bleak picture of their life in isolation. Omar González, 74, has his wife of 53 years, who now lives abroad. This is the first time the couple will spend Christmas apart. “Electricity is our biggest problem: we can’t just go out to charge our phones or go to the bathroom... we’re isolated,” said Magalli Meda, 56, Machado’s campaign manager.

The water is supplied via a small tank that can only be filled with the generator: when the generator is off, there is no running water. Meda, who is a designer by profession, tries to distract herself by painting. "I like to paint wild horses or birds flying away, open cages... anything I feel: sometimes I paint the pain of being locked up. This message has become a prison," she explained.

Accept challenges

On June 28, the 100th day of their confinement in the residence - when they still had access to water and electricity - Pedro Urruchurtu posted a short video diary on his Instagram account in which he is seen walking and reading in the garden: At this point, diplomatic staff were allowed in and out of the residence, bringing the group books and other things from friends and family. Urruchurtu, 34, Machado's international relations adviser, told CNN that he walks 8,000 steps a day to maintain his focus, but that the tensions and stress of constant isolation are taking their toll - a feeling shared by all six.

"Everyone has a different coping strategy, but for the most part you're alone: ​​it's not like we eat here together and are happy all the time... it's hard," said Claudia Macero, 32, Machado's spokeswoman. Macero, Meda and Urruchurtu try to work for Venezuela's opposition movement as regularly as possible, which often means speaking to the relatives and friends of political activists held in the country's notorious prisons...

Hope for change

The group tries to maintain optimism, speculating how long they can survive with what little fuel and food they have left. When they entered the residence in March, none of them believed they would stay there until Christmas. “It’s like time stands still,” said Urruchurtu, who celebrated his birthday with a video call to his family in October. "Maintaining a habit is very important...separating work and play, as we have all learned during the pandemic. Under siege and without power, everything basically stops working when the generator stops working," he reported.

Meda is more relaxed and shares her disappointment with international institutions that she believes should be doing more but are proving to be “too slow and inefficient.” Last week, the Associated Press reported that a top adviser to the International Criminal Court resigned over prosecutors' inability to take action against Maduro, who has been under investigation for crimes against humanity since 2021 but remains firmly in control of his country.

After dark the group goes to bed early. Sunset in Caracas is at 6 p.m., and with the power off there is only light from candles and flashlights. Macero admits that she often has difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep. “Sometimes I wake up and I don’t even remember what day of the week it is because they’re all the same,” Macero added. "Then work starts and we're constantly busy...it's more like sheltering in your office with no power or water," she joked.