March 13, 2020
Venezuelan Attorney General Tarek William Saab requested that the United States ceases sanctions against Venezuela in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic and after the Government confirmed the presence of two cases in the country.
“In this moment, when we are living pandemic, it is ethically unacceptable to maintain such sanctions against Venezuela. Those who oppose the Venezuelan State should take a step ahead and ask for the cessation of these measures,” said the Attorney during a press conference in Caracas.
The Attorney recalled that the sanctions have prevented the Venezuelan from having access to money abroad for the purchase of medicines and food and, at the same time, he said that the blockade has caused serious problems for medical services.
“Are they going to request more sanctions against our country? Are they going to block even more Venezuela’s commerce? Are they going to be the spokespeople of a coronavirus massacre against our country? I urge them to put aside their differences and come together to stop the sanctions,” he said.
He also called on Colombia and Brazil to stop their hostility to Venezuela, and to cooperate with Venezuela against the threats of the coronavirus.
Today, the Venezuelan Government confirmed the first two cases of coronavirus in the country and ordered the suspension of school activities starting on Monday March 16. In addition, the Executive demanded the use of masks in the underground transport service in Caracas, as well as for citizens leaving or entering Venezuela from Colombia and Brazil.
On March 11, the World Health Organization (WHO) defined COVID-19 as a pandemic, caused by a new coronavirus that began to spread from the Chinese city of Wuhan in late 2019.
Globally, the pathogen has already infected more than 145,000 people in 123 countries and territories, causing more than 5,000 deaths, according to the latest WHO data.
Uranium Trafficking
Attorney General Tarek William Saab reported In the same press conference the Attorney General reported that the Venezuelan Public Prosecutor’s Office charged six citizens with trafficking more than 3 kilograms of uranium, which they intended to take out of the country.
“These people were transporting a plastic container in a van that contained a reddish and grey mineral inside. When it was subjected to chemical expertise by experts from the Bolivarian National Guard, it was found to be radioactive material… After more specific tests, it was proven that the samples tested contained uranium in its natural state,” the Attorney said.
Among those involved who had been arrested on March 4 by officials of the Special Action Forces (FAES) were Cesar Antonio Rivas Rodriguez and Carlos Sadix Ugueto Perez, who were transporting the hidden material to Carabobo state, located in the north of the country.
In addition also charged were Erci Antonio Reyes Millan and Cleiver Johanel Chaparro Ramirez who acted as intermediaries for Juan Rafael Osorio Simidey, who was to buy the substance for $390,000 to get it out of the country.
Saab detailed that those involved were charged with illicit trafficking and trade in strategic resources or materials, improper handling of a hazardous substances or materials, and were also charged with the crimes of aggravated emission of ionizing, electromagnetic or radioactive radiation with aggravating circumstances.
The Attorney General detailed that since August 2017 has been 390.3 tons of aluminum; 77.5 tons of copper; 6.8 tons of steel; 2.5 tons of nickel; and 1.3 tons of iron, among other minerals seized.
The head of the Public Prosecutor’s Office also said that they have seized 476.1 tons of cement, along with 34.7 tons of polyethylene that have resulted with 13,200 people having been arrested nationwide for trafficking of strategic material and 8,411 of them have already been charged.
Source: Mundo Sputnik News, translation Resumen Latinoamericano, North America bureau