The diplomatic pulse that no one asked for but everyone comments on
Nicolás Maduro, the Venezuelan president who never misses an opportunity for a television drama, came out this Monday with a “no, thank you” well loaded with irony towards Nayib Bukele. The reason? The Salvadoran leader—yes, the one of the megaprison and the anti-gang controversies—suggested exchanging 252 Venezuelans deported by the US (and locked up in their country) for political prisoners from Venezuela. Maduro, in his role as “defender of human rights” (yes, read sarcastically), demanded the immediate release of his compatriots and blurted out: “Bukele is a serial violator of freedom.” Ah, the hypocrisy.
Twitter, the ring of modern diplomacy
It all started when Bukele, in a tweet worthy of a Netflix script, proposed to Maduro to free activists, journalists and relatives of opponents imprisoned in Venezuela. Between the lines: “I’ll give you these if you give me those.” Maduro, obviously, called it “illegitimate and abusive”, because according to him, Venezuelans are “kidnapped” in El Salvador. Of course, not a word about the political prisoners in his country. Priorities, right?
The best: Bukele mentioned that the package also included detainees from 23 other nationalities, as if it were an exchange of Pokémon but with human beings. “The only reason they are there is to oppose you,” he snapped. Maduro, meanwhile, continues without publishing the minutes of the last elections… but that is another topic.
The context? El Salvador is in the crosshairs for receiving deportees from the US—accused without evidence of being gang members—and Maduro continues in his saga of “questioned reelections”. Meanwhile, the relatives of the deportees are clamoring for information. Who wins in this game? Nobody. Who loses? Everyone.
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