Bolivian President Evo Morales will file a lawsuit against the US government for crimes against humanity. He has decried the US for its intimidation tactics and fear-mongering after the Venezuelan presidential jet was blocked from entering US airspace.
“I would like to announce that we are preparing a lawsuit
against Barack Obama to condemn him for crimes against
humanity,” said President Morales at a press conference in
the Bolivian city of Santa Cruz. He branded the US president as a
“criminal” who violates international law.
In solidarity with Venezuela, Bolivia will begin preparing a lawsuit against the US head of state to be taken to the international court. Furthermore, Morales has called an emergency meeting of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to discuss what has been condemned by Venezuela as “an act of intimidation by North American imperialism.”
The Bolivian president has suggested that the members of CELAC
withdraw their ambassadors from the US to send a message to the
Obama Administration. As an additional measure he will call on
the member nations of the Bolivarian Alliance for the Americas to
boycott the next meeting of the UN. Members of the Alliance
include Antigua and Barbuda, Cuba, Dominica, Ecuador, Nicaragua,
Venezuela and Saint Lucia.
“The US cannot be allowed to continue with its policy of
intimidation and blockading presidential flights,” stressed
Morales.
The Venezuelan government announced on Thursday that President
Nicolas Maduro’s plane had been denied entry
into Puerto Rican (US) airspace.
“We have received the information from American officials that
we have been denied travel over its airspace,” Venezuelan
Foreign Minister Elias Jaua said, speaking to reporters during an
official meeting with his South African counterpart. Jaua decried
the move “as yet another act of aggression on the part of
North American imperialism against the government of the
Bolivarian Republic.”
President Maduro was due to arrive in Beijing this weekend for
bilateral talks with the Chinese government. Jaua was adamant
that the Venezuelan leader would reach his destination,
regardless of any perceived interference.
The US government has not yet made any statement regarding the
closing of its airspace to the Venezuelan presidential plane.
Puerto Rico is an unincorporated territory of the US.
Relations on the rocks
Washington’s relations with Latin America have deteriorated since
the beginning of the year following the aerial blockade that
forced Bolivian President Evo Morales’ plane to land in Austria
in July. Several EU countries closed their airspace to the
presidential jet because of suspicions that former CIA employee
Edward Snowden - wanted in the US on espionage charges - was on
board. Bolivia alleged that the US was behind the aerial
blockade.
In response to the incident, Latin American leaders joined
together in condemnation of what they described as
“neo-colonial intimidation.”
Later in the year, the revelations on the US’ global spy network
released by Edward Snowden did little to improve relations.
Leaked wires revealed that the National Security Agency (NSA) had
monitored the private communications of both the Brazilian and
Mexican presidents.
The Brazilian government denounced the NSA surveillance as
“impermissible and unacceptable,” and a violation of
Brazilian sovereignty. As a result of US spying Brazilian
President Dilma Rousseff has postponed a state visit to Washington in
October.