Venezuelan organization in exile declares Lula persona non grata for supporting Maduro

The Organization of Politically Persecuted Venezuelans in Exile (Veppex) declared this Thursday (1st) President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva persona non grata “for his constant support for the tyrannical regime of Nicolás Maduro”.

In a statement, the organization called it an “absolute aberration” the fact that the Brazilian president said this week that the accusations that Venezuela does not have a democracy are the result of a “narrative”.

“President Lula pretends to ignore many facts that are public and that show the regime that reigns in Venezuela, such as the 7 million Venezuelans in the world [que deixaram o país desde a implantação do chavismo] and the existence of hundreds of political prisoners, which are a reality that the president of Brazil pretends to ignore”, said in the statement the director of Veppex, José Antonio Colina.

The dictator of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, arrived in Brazil on the night of last Sunday (28) to participate in the summit of South American leaders called by Lula, which took place on Tuesday (30) in Brasília, and upon disembarking he was received with head of state honors.

After a meeting between the two on Monday (29), Lula attributed the allegations of violations of human rights and democracy in Venezuela to a “narrative”, an assertion that was criticized by opposition leaders in Brazil and even by some supporters. from the government.

The statement was also criticized by some of the participants in the summit of South American presidents convened by Lula, such as leftist Gabriel Boric, president of Chile, and rightist Luis Lacalle Pou, of Uruguay.

Opposition leader Juan Guaidó wrote on Twitter that Lula “forgets the murdered, the victims, the destruction of the Amazon and the millions of migrants”. “Denialist attitudes by heads of state are an endorsement for individuals like Maduro to continue acting with impunity,” pointed out Guaidó.