The ambassador of Uruguay to the Organization of American States (OAS), Washington Abdala, sent an emotive message to the Cubans and Venezuelans who long for a change towards open, inclusive, and democratic societies, as well as the end of the dictatorial regimes that hold power in their countries through violence and repression.
“To the Venezuelans, I can say the same thing I have told my Cuban friends, to many friends who today find shelter in the territory of Uruguay. I just tell them to have faith, to have hope. We also went through authoritarian, autocratic, tyrannical, despotic processes, and we made it through,” the diplomat said in a videoconference.
Her words resonated at the event "Uruguay and Venezuela: Solidarity in Times of Crisis," held last week at the Legislative Palace of Uruguay, attended by Cubans, Venezuelans, and Uruguayans who came together to discuss solutions to the Venezuelan crisis.
“Nobody gives away freedom. Freedom is conquered and reconquered, and when it’s lost, it is a very painful thing,” Abdala said during his speech, in which he reflected on the journey taken by Uruguayan society to emerge from dictatorship and forge the peaceful and civilized framework that today allows them to boast of being one of the leading countries in the region.
In addition to Ambassador Abdala, participants were able to hear from the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, María Corina Machado, who remains in Venezuela advocating for the victory of Edmundo González Urrutia, supported by the votes from the recent elections, while the elected president has gone into exile in Spain this weekend.
"So I just say to you: have a lot of faith, have a lot of trust, because at some point an opening occurs, a small window that widens, and the path leads to the complete window of freedom. We need to have great personal and collective confidence, along with strong mental and emotional conviction," the diplomat added earnestly.
In July 2021, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), an organ of the OAS, condemned in a statement "the state repression and the use of force" during the historic protests that erupted on July 11 and 12 on the Caribbean island.
In an intervention by this organization, Abdala stated that “what is happening in Cuba does not allow for delays” and warned that “time is working against the defense of the rights and lives of many people” on the island.
In his capacity as president of the Permanent Council of the OAS, the ambassador of Uruguay emphasized that "not knowing what is happening in Cuba does not mean that the dramatic events are not ongoing. Reality, sadly, continues its course; it is not concealed behind papers, statements, or delays."
"Venezuelans are desperate all over the world (...) What is happening is the dramatic consequence of an authoritarian regime," Abdala pointed out in December 2020 following the shipwreck that occurred in the Venezuelan Caribbean, where 23 citizens lost their lives while fleeing Nicolás Maduro's regime.
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