Organized by the Antifascist International, this event kicked off on Thursday in the Ayacucho Hall of the Yellow House at the Foreign Ministry, and featured national and international experts from several countries, as well as organizations and movements linked to human rights.

Saab, along with Deputy Foreign Minister for Latin America Rander Peña and Brazilian Jose Alexandre Ferreira Guedez, will speak in the panel dedicated to “The imperial state of exception: Chronicle of the kidnapping of Venezuelans in El Salvador.”

Speaking Thursday, Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil talked about the efforts made by the Government of President Nicolas Maduro to raise awareness and demand actions from the international community regarding the more than 250 Venezuelan migrants kidnapped in El Salvador.

Gil explained that communications were sent to world leaders and multilateral international organizations, the pro tempore presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), in the hands of Honduras, and United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.

Also included were UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), and other regional and multilateral forums.

He regretted these organizations’ silence “after 19 days”, and pointed out that perhaps they are analyzing the situation to give a “forceful response.”

He underscored that in this case, the right of Venezuelans is not only being violated but “the right of Latin Americans and migrants in general.”

Peña ratified at the event’s opening ceremony on Thursday the national government’s decision to “bring safe and sound the brothers and sisters, who are in this complex situation.”

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