Following the US military attack on Venezuela and the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro, the Society for Threatened Peoples (STP) warns against the erosion of international law and criticizes the lack of a clear condemnation by the German government and the EU. According to consistent reports, dozens of people were killed in the intervention, including Venezuelan security forces and numerous civilians.

“The kidnapping of a sitting head of state by a foreign country is a dangerous precedent—regardless of how one views the regime in question and the legitimacy of the presidency,” says Jan Königshausen, advisor on Indigenous Peoples at STP. “The fact that this intervention, which violates international law, has met with approval in parts of Venezuelan society, especially among Venezuelans in exile, does not change its illegality. International law does not apply according to sympathy or political expediency.”

The STP expressly emphasizes that serious human rights violations, political repression, and Maduro's authoritarian rule in Venezuela must not be relativized. Nevertheless, they do not justify a military attack or the violent abduction of a political officeholder. “Those who disregard international norms in order to eliminate an unwelcome opponent destroy the very order on which the protection and legal security of civilian populations worldwide are based,” said Königshausen.

The STP is particularly critical of the conspicuous hesitation and lack of clarity in the reactions from Germany and the EU. While violations of international law by Russia or Iran are regularly condemned and sanctioned, evasive rhetoric dominates in the current case. “It remains to be seen whether Maduro's abduction will officially have no consequences. But the EU and the German government's vacillation so far is undignified and politically dangerous,” said Königshausen. "This timidity undermines the credibility of a rules-based international order. The German government invokes international law when it is geopolitically expedient—and ignores it when violations are committed by allies,“ criticizes Königshausen. ”This turns a universal instrument of protection into a selective means of power."

Against the backdrop of Germany's ambitions for a permanent seat on the UN Security Council, this attitude is particularly problematic. “Anyone who wants to assume international responsibility must be prepared to clearly identify violations of international law, regardless of who is responsible,” Königshausen demands. “This also includes bringing cases such as the current, unlawful US invasion to the attention of multilateral institutions and strengthening international legal mechanisms, rather than ducking out of consideration for transatlantic relations.”

“If kidnappings, regime change, and military interventions are once again considered legitimate means of international politics, the weakest will lose their last protection. This affects Indigenous Peoples and minorities particularly hard,” says Königshausen. "International law must not be a rhetorical ornament—it must remain the guiding principle of political action, especially when it is inconvenient. It loses its power not through its opponents, but through the silence of its supposed defenders," said Königshausen.

This press release was translated from German to English using AI. If you come across errors or ambiguities, please contact us at presse@gfbv.de.