Guatemala willing to grant asylum to Venezuelan political prisoners

Bernardo Arévalo, president of Guatemala, said that he could consider grant asylum for political prisoners from Venezuela if this contributes to a democratic solution to the current electoral conflict.

«At some point, if that contributes to a democratic solution in Venezuela that can be achieved restore the sovereign vote of the people, “We could consider it,” he said.

In an interview with CNN, he highlighted that this possibility Your government would have to evaluate it in the context of the political process that is taking place. This statement comes one day after 135 former political prisoners from Nicaragua arrived in their country.

Previously, the Guatemalan president had expressed his concern about the electoral crisis in Venezuela. Two weeks ago he announced that does not recognize the official results of the July 28 elections in this country. These data indicate that Nicolás Maduro is the presumed winner.

Arévalo said: “The crisis in Venezuela is indisputable and we in Guatemala have already said that its recent elections are only a demonstration of this. The Maduro regime is not democratic and we do not recognize their fraud.”

“The people of our entire continent must demand a peaceful solution. guarantee the will of the people and recover the country for all Venezuelans,” he stressed.

In the interview, the president recalled that Guatemala grants citizens of El Salvador, Honduras and Nicaragua the right to stay in the country for 90 days. To do so, they only need to present their passport.

“This is an arrangement that these four countries have. So in addition to the fact that we have discussed this within the framework of the Safe Mobility Program, It is built on the basis of the migratory character “which is already granted by current agreements to Nicaraguan citizens,” he explained.

Arévalo clarified that It was the United States government that consulted the possibility that Guatemala would grant temporary accommodation to the 135 Nicaraguans while the final situation of the former political prisoners was defined, who want to apply for refugee status in the North American country or another.