PETALING JAYA: Leaders from several local non-governmental organisations and activists have called on the United States to immediately cease military actions against Venezuela.
In a joint statement yesterday, the group condemned the move, calling it an unprovoked and illegal military attack against Venezuela.
“This act of aggression constitutes a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and fundamental principles of international law, including the prohibition on the use of force and the right of all peoples to self-determination.
“The stated objective of securing control over Venezuela’s natural resources reveals this action for what it is – a brazen war of predation and a return to the darkest practices of colonial plunder,” the statement added.
The group called on the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly to address the breach of international peace and security, while holding the United States accountable.
It said an immediate and unconditional cessation of all hostile military actions against Venezuela is needed, including the full withdrawal of US forces from Venezuelan territory and airspace.
The group added that Venezuela’s sovereignty, political independence and right to control its natural resources must be respected.
“We urge the international community, particularly nations of the Global South, to unite in rejecting the aggression and to develop collective mechanisms to deter and oppose such predatory actions,” it said.
The group claimed that the attack was not an isolated incident, but part of a broader historical pattern of intervention by the United States in the Global South.
Among those who signed the joint statement were Polity executive chairperson Nurul Izzah Anwar, Asean Parliamentarians for Human Rights co-chair Charles Santiago and Third World Network executive director Chee Yoke Ling.
Other signatories included Prof Dr Mohd Afandi Salleh from Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin’s Faculty of Law and International Relations, Malaysian Humanitarian Aid and Relief president Jismi Johari and Sahabat Alam Malaysia president Meenakshi Raman.
