Colombian President Ivan Duque this Saturday called on the international community to act against his Venezuelan counterpart Nicolas Maduro for his “
crimes against humanity
” during a joint press conference with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo .
"
This is a regime at the origin of systematic human rights violations, the leader of this dictatorship is responsible for crimes against humanity and the international community must put an end to this situation,
" said Mr. Duque of the presidential palace of the Casa de Narino in Bogota, referring to the Venezuelan leader.
A United Nations report has shown that "
Nicolas Maduro is responsible for crimes against humanity as well as his entourage
", continued Mr. Duque, a key ally of the United States in the region.
"
We will continue to make this appeal to the international community, because it must put an end to this bloodshed,
" he added.
Read also: Mike Pompeo: "What President Donald Trump really wants about Iranian nuclear power"
A team of UN investigators said Wednesday in a report to have found evidence of crimes against humanity in Venezuela and said they have "
good reason to believe that the president
" as well as the Minister of the Interior and that of the Defense "
ordered or helped to sponsor the proven crimes
".
Mr. Maduro denounced a report "
riddled with untruths
".
The Colombian head of state was speaking at the last stop, in Bogota, of a three-day tour led by Mr. Pompeo in neighboring countries of Venezuela intended to increase pressure on the socialist president to let him leave power.
The US Secretary of State for his part praised the "
incredibly precious
" nature of the support given by the Colombian head of state "
to interim president Juan Guaido
", leader of the Venezuelan opposition, and "
to a Venezuela sovereign, free from the malicious influences of Cuba, Russia and Iran
”.
Read also: Venezuela: Juan Guaido in the process of marginalization
The head of US diplomacy was in Guyana and Brazil on Friday, where he visited a camp for Venezuelan refugees in the Brazilian city of Boa Vista (northwest).
It was Thursday in Suriname.
From Guyana, he accused Mr. Maduro of having "
wiped out
" his own people and felt that he "
must go
", drawing a scathing response from the socialist leader who called him "
go away." -war
”.
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