Miami, FL – Alex Saab, a Venezuelan diplomat, is now free after long negotiations between Venezuela’s government and the U.S. State Department. Saab flew back to Venezuela on Wednesday, December 20 into the waiting arms of his wife, Camilla Fabri Saab. He will be able to hug his children after more than three years of detention and imprisonment by the U.S. government.

It will be a hero’s welcome for Alex Saab when President Nicolás Maduro greets him at Miraflores Palace for all the country to celebrate his strength and determination. Saab is a man who humbly served the people of Venezuela by negotiating with Iran and other countries for food and medicine, as well as technologies for the oil industry to be rebuilt. Due to U.S.-imposed sanctions on the Venezuelan economy, President Nicolas Maduro enlisted Saab to barter oil and gold to defeat the U.S.-imposed economic crisis.

U.S. sanctions against Venezuela are currently crumbling as the White House needs Venezuelan oil for its European allies. The U.S. created its own crisis however, through the funding and arming of the war in Ukraine and now the Israeli genocide in Palestine, angering the world.

Venezuela wants its economy to meet the needs of its people instead of just making profits for banks and companies on Wall Street or in the city of London. The U.S. goal since President Hugo Chavez first launched the Bolivarian Revolution in 1999 has been to strangle all progress. The Bolivarian Revolution has created productive farms to feed people instead of importing 80% of food, built 4 million new apartments and small houses with running water and electricity, provided public education through high school, 13 new public universities, basic health care for all, and new productive industries other than oil extraction.

In fact, Alex Saab is largely responsible for the failure of U.S. economic sanctions targeting Venezuela and the U.S. was out to punish him. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency tried to recruit him to do their dirty work, but he would not bend. So, the U.S. illegally seized Saab in June 2020 from an airplane in Cape Verde off the coast of Africa. U.S. officials rifled through his diplomatic pouch and belongings while local police detained and imprisoned him.

The U.S. government then renditioned Saab to Miami in October 2021, because the newly-elected President of Cape Verde promised to free him. Ever since, Saab sat in a federal holding cell, appearing at a Miami court hearing beginning December 12, 2022, where the U.S. judge bowed to U.S. State Department and White House demands, ignoring the law and mountains of evidence showing Saab was a special envoy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

News sources are reporting that Venezuela will release some Americans, including two former Green Berets and mercenaries who attempted a failed invasion of Venezuela. They were backed by Miami-based companies when Donald Trump was president. The mercenaries were swiftly captured in their boats, disarmed by local Bolivarian militias, and handed over to authorities.

Besides negotiations for oil and prisoners, the U.S. is also attempting to impose their chosen candidate for president on Venezuela, despite that person being disqualified for breaking election laws.

Tom Burke of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization said, “This is a great day for Alex Saab, for Camilla and her children, and for the Bolivarian Revolution in Venezuela! It shows that international solidarity is powerful!”

#MiamiFL #International #Venezuela #AlexSaab #Sanctions #FRSO #Feature

Minneapolis, MN – On May 7, a couple dozen activists gathered at the busy intersection of Minneapolis’ Chicago and Lake Streets for a rally as part of the international “Week for Alex Saab” called by the Committee to Free Alex Saab. Speakers from different movements gave messages of solidarity with Venezuela’s kidnapped diplomat and connected Alex Saab’s struggle to a broader history of U.S. imperialism and repression. Many cars honked in support of the “Hands off Venezuela” signs and passersby stayed to listen to the speeches.

Sarah Martin of the Women Against Military Madness Solidarity Committee of the Americas spoke first, stating, “We’re here today because we understand the fight to free Alex Saab, end sanctions on Venezuela, the blockade of Cuba and U.S. imperialism in Latin America are connected to and important to our struggles for a better life in the U.S.” Martin detailed her trips to Venezuela over the years, painting an optimistic portrait of the Bolivarian revolution’s accomplishments with regard to expanding food sovereignty, poverty alleviation, free and low-cost housing and medical care.

Next, Mike Madden of the Twin Cities Assange Defense Committee and Veterans for Peace Chapter 27 made connections with the fight to free imprisoned journalist Julian Assange, and also spoke to the hypocrisy of the White House’s 2021 declaration that “diplomacy is back” under the Biden administration, stating, “The United States is now undermining the fundamental underpinnings that make international diplomacy possible. With the kidnapping of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab, the United States is showing the world once again that it is above the law and that the protocols established by the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations do not apply to our exceptional nation.”

Bruce Nestor, member and former president of the National Lawyers Guild, spoke about the case of the Cuban Five, who were political prisoners held by the U.S. from 1998 until 2014 when the final men were released after years of sometimes small, sometimes large grassroots solidarity actions and a long legal fight.

Nestor also spoke about the U.S. weaponization of human rights in pursuit of its imperialist agenda, saying that the U.S. government claims, “’We're adopting sanctions and allowing Venezuelans to die en masse because we're concerned about human rights in Venezuela.’ It has nothing to do with human rights. It has everything to do with maintaining the U.S. economic control, through the International Monetary Fund, through the control of the dollar, which is the objective of the United States.”

Kelly Thomas of Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar expressed support for Alex Saab’s freedom and told the crowd that repression and abusing political prisoners is a matter of routine for the U.S. government. Thomas stated, “Internationally, the state uses its military power to suppress people. And domestically, the state uses militarized police forces, including the National Guard, to suppress its own citizens.” Thomas spoke about community control of the Minneapolis Police, as a way to fight back. TCC4J continues to gather signatures to move that struggle forward locally.

Sorcha Lona, an organizer from the University of Minnesota chapter of Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), connected Saab’s detention in the Miami detention center to the current political repression aimed at the students of Florida State University known as the Tampa 5.

Finally, the MN Anti-War Committee’s Andrew Josefchak stated, “The U.S. would like to be able to imprison any diplomat, any government official, any head of state, just because it wants to. So, while the U.S. claims to be spreading democracy around the world with sanctions and starvation and bombs and bullets, in reality, it has declared itself the sole dictator of which governments count and which ones don't, no matter what the people of those countries themselves have to say about it.” Josefchak ended his speech with spirited chants of “Hands off Venezuela!” and “Free Alex Saab!”

The rally was initiated by the Anti-War Committee and endorsed by Veterans for Peace Chapter 27, Twin Cities Assange Defense Committee, Women Against Military Madness, Twin Cities Coalition for Justice 4 Jamar, and the UMN chapter of SDS.

The protest was organized as a part of the Committee to Free Alex Saab’s international week of action. Events took place across the country including Washington D.C., New York City, Dayton OH, Dallas TX, Milwaukee WI, Grand Rapids WI, Miami FL, and Vancouver BC Canada, among others.

#MinneapolisMN #Venezuela #AlexSaab #Americas

Grand Rapids, MI – The Committee to Free Alex Saab is calling all anti-war and international solidarity activists, community and immigrant rights organizers, labor unionists and students to join in an international week of action to Free Alex Saab.

Alex Saab is a Venezuelan diplomat who has been illegally kidnapped and imprisoned by the U.S. government for his work securing food, fuel, medicine and other basic necessities in defiance of the U.S. sanctions on Venezuela. Saab has now been detained for more than 1000 days, unable to see doctors or family members, and his health is rapidly declining. The denial of Saab’s diplomatic status is a direct attack on the sovereignty of Venezuela and a test-case for future acts of aggression against sovereign states; if the U.S. succeeds in prosecuting Saab, it will have a legal precedent to take similar actions against the representatives of any state it decrees to be “illegitimate.”

Minneapolis Anti-War Committee member Andrew Josefchak stated, “Alex Saab is a diplomat. The U.S. is saying that he isn’t a real diplomat because they don’t recognize the Venezuelan government as legitimate, as if the U.S, is the one who decides whether or not people get to elect their own leaders. He’s now been arrested and detained for more than 1000 days for providing his people with food and medicine. That’s not a crime, that’s heroism. Alex Saab needs to be allowed to see his family, to see a doctor, and more than anything to be set free immediately.”

The Committee to Free Alex Saab has called for activists to speak about freedom for Alex Saab at International Workers Day rallies and marches, hand out fliers and information, hold “Free Alex Saab!” signs, and lift banners of Alex Saab on campuses, busy street corners, or overpasses and hold educational events.

Tom Burke, organizational secretary of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization, stated “There is a growing movement to free Alex Saab. We know of eight cities doing some sort of action. There will be speeches to free Alex Saab at International Workers’ Day rallies, some will show a movie about Venezuela’s brave diplomat, others will do outreach on campus to educate students. We want others around the world to join us in telling President Biden to let Saab go!”

Campaign members are available to provide material and speakers for teach-ins, interviews, panel-calls and rallies. Video documentaries and leafleting materials are also available to local movements on request. Reach out to FightBackforAlexSaab@gmail.com for information or materials.

End the U.S. Blockade of Venezuela!

Free Alex Saab!

Sanctions are an Act of War!

#GrandRapidsMI #Venezuela #AlexSaab #Americas

Caracas, Venezuela – It has now been more than 1000 days since Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab was first kidnapped by the U.S. government on the island of Cabo Verde, off the west coast of Africa. Since then, he’s been subjected to physical, psychological and chemical torture and moved to a federal detention center in Miami, Florida.

Two members of Minnesota's Anti-War Committee met with Saab’s wife, Camilla Fabri Saab, on Tuesday, March 7, alongside a delegation from the Alliance for Global Justice and progressive lawyers with the Free Alex Saab Movement. Camilla, Fabri Saab, mother to their two young daughters, provided updates on his case, emphasizing that his health has taken a severe turn for the worse.

Saab is missing several teeth due to beatings and has been denied access to all medical treatment beyond aspirin. Camilla’s account of the weaponization of psychiatric treatment in the Miami Detention Center was particularly shocking. First U.S. officials tortured Saab, then they diagnosed him with PTSD resulting from the torture that they themselves inflicted. Using that diagnosis as a pretext, Saab was forced to take pills which made him feel exhausted, dizzy and nauseous to such a degree that he was sometimes unable to even speak on the phone. Prison staff refused to tell him what was in these pills, and it was only after Alex Saab's lawyers intervened that this chemical torture ended.

Saab is a diabetic cancer survivor, making the Miami FDC’s decision to deny him medical attention especially cruel and life-threatening. Four weeks ago, he began to vomit blood. Despite this, he is still being denied the right to see a doctor. Saab’s rapidly deteriorating health means that the urgency of his fight for freedom intensifies day by day.

Everything indicates that this medical mistreatment is intentional U.S. policy, an extension of efforts to immiserate the Venezuelan people as a whole. The dark irony of Saab being deprived of healthcare is that he is being targeted for his efforts to bring exactly that – healthcare – to the people of Venezuela. Under a U.S.-led blockade that prevented Venezuela from importing basic goods like food, medicine, fuel and agricultural supplies, many Venezuelans suffered tremendously. Saab traveled the world as a diplomat for the Venezuelan government in order to secure the basic, critical supplies needed to save Venezuelans from starvation and death by preventable illnesses.

Camilla also provided the Anti-War Committee with an internal U.S. government email from Elliot Abrams, a neoconservative and former U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela. She described this email as a “smoking gun.” District Judge Robert Scola’s ruling against Alex Saab in December of last year relied on the assertion that he is not a diplomat and thus doesn’t have any diplomatic immunity. In the email Camilla presented, however, Abrams admits that Saab was in possession of a diplomatic passport and suggests that the U.S. will have to find a way to discredit the passport, such as claiming that it is a fake, in order to successfully prosecute him. The case against Alex Saab has been clearly politically motivated and illegal from the beginning, but this new evidence is concrete proof.

Since the visit, Camilla and the Free Alex Saab Movement have continued the fight, holding the U.S. government squarely responsible for Saab’s life. Their current demands are:

For the International Committee of the Red Cross to send a representative to the Miami Detention Center; for the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights to denounce Saab’s imprisonment as an illegal detention and a violation of human rights; for UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to denounce the illegal detention of a diplomat by the U.S. as a violation of international law; and, immediate freedom for Alex Saab.

Activists in the U.S. know we cannot rely on the legal system to do its job and free Alex Saab. The U.S. government willingly violated international law. It will take a concerted, popular struggle for Saab to see his family again. The Free Alex Saab Movement is calling for activists to take to the streets for a National Week of Action from May 1-7 to build the movement and show U.S. leaders that we will not stand by while Saab, and Venezuelan people as a whole, are criminally attacked.

Free Alex Saab!

#CaracasVenezuela #Caracas #Venezuela #AlexSaab #BolivarianRepublicOfVenezuela #Americas

New Orleans, LA – On March 11, protesters took to the streets to demand the release of Venezuelan diplomat and political prisoner Alex Saab. The march began at Armstrong Park, where activist Simon Miscenich of the Freedom Road Socialist Organization spoke on the details of Alex Saab’s kidnapping and impending trial.

The U.S. ordered Saab’s illegal imprisonment in Cabo Verde in June 2020. He was on his way to Iran, where he would negotiate access to food, medicine and other vital goods, which U.S. trade sanctions bar Venezuelans from accessing. Saab was extradited to the U.S. in October 2021, and he still awaits trial in Miami, Florida to face false charges of “money laundering” – a charge the U.S. frequently asserts against political foes. March 9, 2023 marked 1000 days since Saab’s unjust imprisonment.

After hearing details of Saab’s case, activists took to the street and marched several blocks. They held a lane of traffic and chanted alongside cars, “One, two three, four! We won’t pay for sanction war!” and “Free, free Alex Saab!”

Finally, the group gathered in front of a monument of Simon Bolivar on Canal Street, which was gifted to New Orleans by Venezuela in 1957. Antonia Mar, another member of FRSO, connected the kidnapping of Alex Saab and the strangling sanctions on Venezuela to a long history of U.S. imperialism in Latin America. The U.S. has historically attempted to bend the continent to its own will for economic gain, but Mar stated, “The Venezuelan government refuses to be subservient to U.S. hegemony, refuses to be victimized by the U.S.’s attempts to gain control over the country.”

The march concluded with several chants calling to “Free Alex Saab!” and “End the killer sanctions now!”

#NewOrleansLA #Venezuela #AlexSaab #BolivarianRepublicOfVenezuela #Americas

In his ruling, Judge Scola wrote, “Saab Moran cannot be entitled to diplomatic immunity because he could not – as a matter of law – have been an agent of the Venezuelan government. At the time of his arrest, Saab Moran was, at best, a special envoy of the Maduro regime, which the United States has not recognized to be the official government of Venezuela since January 2019. So, Saab Moran is not entitled to diplomatic immunity in the United States.”

Tom Burke with the Campaign to Free Alex Saab said, “It is clear the White House and State Department are criminalizing the Venezuelan diplomat responsible for defeating U.S. sanctions. Alex Saab made big trade deals that brought food, medicine, oil industry machine parts, and other materials to Venezuela in exchange for oil and gold. Saab defeated every U.S. effort to strangle the Venezuelan economy. Saab helped to advance the Bolivarian revolution, benefiting all the working people and their children, and U.S. leaders aren't happy about that.”

Cassia Laham, a Miami anti-war activist, said, “The U.S. government’s legal arguments were weak and pathetic. In any other court, in any other country, Alex Saab would have walked free. The judge's ruling proved the political nature of this case and of Saab's kidnapping. The U.S. deems Venezuela a ‘national security threat’ simply because it takes care of its own people without bowing to the dictates of U.S. imperialism. And this can only be done with the help of heroes like Alex Saab.”

In June of 2020, the U.S. government blocked Alex Saab’s plane, which was in route to Iran, forcing it to land in Cape Verde. Saab was on his way to Iran on behalf of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to secure resources and humanitarian goods for the people of Venezuela. Then it asked Cape Verde's government to arrest Saab and detain him. The next day an Interpol arrest warrant suddenly appeared. U.S. intelligence agents rifled through Saab’s belongings and opened his Venezuelan government diplomatic pouch and sealed documents, an outrage to diplomats everywhere.

Then, in October 2021, the U.S. renditioned Saab to Miami, Florida despite there being no extradition treaty between the United States and Cape Verde. This occurred one day before an election in Cape Verde where the leading candidate promised to release Saab if elected.

Since then, Saab's defense team has tried challenge this illegal farce by proving his status as a diplomat. All indications are that Judge Scola’s ruling was a foregone conclusion discussed at the highest levels of the Biden White House and Antony Blinken's State Department.

 There will be an appeal from Alex Saab’s defense team, including the thorough fact-based defense arguments of Jonathan New. This, though, will force Alex Saab to sit in a Miami prison cell for many weeks, perhaps months longer than the 900 days the U.S. has already detained him.

Laham said, “Alex Saab is being punished by the U.S. empire because he was successful at beating U.S. sanctions. He is one of many political prisoners being held in U.S. prisons and we know he will not find justice inside a U.S. courtroom.”

#MiamiFL #Venezuela #PoliticalPrisoners #sanctions #AlexSaab #BolivarianRepublicOfVenezuela #Americas

Miami, FL- Nearly 30 international solidarity, peace and justice activists packed into a crowded courtroom at the Wilke Ferguson Federal Courthouse in downtown Miami on the morning of Monday, December 12 to show support for kidnapped Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab. The special hearing before federal judge Robert Scola, Jr. was on a motion by Saab’s defense team to dismiss the charges against him because he is an official diplomat of the Venezuelan government and should therefore be immune from any prosecution in the United States.

Alex Saab was illegally imprisoned on the island Republic of Cabo Verde, at the directive of the United States on June 12, 2020, for “conspiracy to commit money laundering.” It is an entirely fabricated charge but one that is often used by the United States against those who it views as political opponents. The action was taken in secret, without notifying his defense team and without any necessary or relevant documentation. Alex Saab was then illegally renditioned to the United States from Cabo Verde [also known as Cape Verde] – which does not have an extradition treaty with the United States – on October 16, 2021.

In Miami, local activists were joined by supporters from across the state and country, and even from as far away as Tunisia. They gathered at 8 a.m. outside of the federal courthouse with signs and a banner that read, “Free Alex Saab! Venezuelan diplomat: Kidnapped by the empire.”

At 9 a.m. the activists made their way into the courtroom to witness the hearing. Sitting behind the defense bench, they watched as Alex Saab entered the room a moment later, escorted by federal marshals. He was in a light-brown prisoner uniform, with shackles around his waist and feet, all connected to the handcuffs around his wrists. He wore navy blue Adidas sandals with white socks, his hair was tied in a bun, revealing a tattoo on his neck with his wife’s name: Camila. He seemed in good health and good spirits and conversed with his lawyers.

The defense began its case with the first of three witnesses, and myriad official documents from the Islamic Republic of Iran, the Bolivarian Republican of Venezuela, and even documents from former U.S. government officials – all of which should prove Saab’s status as a special envoy to Iran for the Venezuelan government since 2018.

One of his defense attorneys, Jonathan New, began opening arguments by putting Saab’s 2020 arrest into context.

“Venezuela was trying to overcome years of crippling economic sanctions placed upon it by the United States,” New said. “It was under these circumstances that President Nicolas Maduro appointed Alex Saab as a special envoy to undertake missions to Iran to access secure food, medicine and fuel for Venezuela.”

He explained how the U.S. sanctions, coupled with the global economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, made Saab’s job securing humanitarian goods for the people of Venezuela even more important. He added that Saab traveled multiple times to Iran, “at great personal risk to Mr. Saab given that we were at the height of the COVID pandemic and nowhere close to having vaccines ready.”

The defense showed that the United States knew about these diplomatic trips, and in fact reported on them in various news outlets. As a special envoy, Saab had successfully negotiated with the Iranian government multiple times and secured oil tankers, medical supplies and food from Iran to Venezuela.

“This did not sit well with the United States, as Saab was actively working to reduce the effects of U.S. sanctions,” said attorney New.

The defense went on to say that the issue before the court is simply to decide whether Alex Saab was a special envoy for Venezuela when he was arrested in Cape Verde. If so, the court must dismiss U.S. government’s phony conspiracy charges against him and set him free. As attorney New noted: “If it looks like a duck, acts like a duck, and quacks like a duck, it’s a duck. Mr. Saab was and is a special envoy.”

Meanwhile the strategy by the prosecution, led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alex Kramer, was less clear. On the one hand, Kramer stated the prosecution will attempt to prove that the legal documents from Venezuela pertaining to Saab’s diplomatic status were somehow forged or falsified; on the other hand, he said the prosecution will also argue that Saab had a “different” type of diplomatic status that does not fall under the Vienna Convention’s diplomatic immunity agreement. It seemed like the government is grasping at straws with these two wildly disparate arguments.

The hearing will continue through the week. More updates from Miami to come.

#MiamiFL #Venezuela #AlexSaab #BolivarianRepublicOfVenezuela #Americas

Miami, FL – An important hearing takes place on Monday, December 12 in the case of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab. With solidarity activists planning to protest outside the Federal Court building in Miami chanting, “Free Alex Saab,” inside a judge will hear arguments from Saab’s defense that should force him to be set free.

Saab’s defense will assert his status as a Special Envoy to the President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro. As a special envoy of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, he is immune to prosecution by the U.S. government.

“The U.S. is singling out Alex Saab for punishment because he is key to bypassing the illegal U.S. sanctions placed upon Venezuela,” says Cassia Laham of the Free Alex Saab Committee. “This kidnapping of a diplomat comes after multiple illegal attempts by the United States at coup d’états and regime change against the Venezuelan government.”

All the U.S. maneuvers against Venezuela have failed so far. In 2002, popularly elected President Hugo Chavez reversed the U.S. backed coup. Later that year, Chavez defeated a management lockout of the oil industry by firing 18,000 managers and bosses. The current president of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro, defeated another U.S. backed coup on April 30, 2019. Then in 2020 Maduro foiled a U.S. mercenary-led invasion force who were captured by people’s militias before they even hit the beach.

“Alex Saab has done nothing wrong. He certainly does not belong in a U.S. jail,” said Tom Burke, with the Committee to Stop FBI Repression. “He’s a special envoy who made trade deals for food, medicine, technology, and other things that benefit the Venezuelan people. It is U.S. sanctions that need to be on trial. U.S. sanctions are illegal, an act of war.”

Alex Saab was illegally imprisoned in the Republic of Cabo Verde at the directive of the United States on June 12, 2020. Then he was illegally renditioned to Miami from Cabo Verde, despite there being no extradition treaty, on October 16, 2021.

Under the Vienna Convention, a credentialed diplomat such as Saab has absolute immunity from arrest, even in a time of war. Saab has also appealed to the US 11th Circuit Court based on his diplomatic status.

Laham says, “It is now over 900 days since Alex Saab was first jailed by the United States. The U.S. is now negotiating for Venezuelan oil and needs to end the sanctions, war, and aggression against Venezuela. They need to respect Venezuela and reestablish normal ties.”

Burke and Laham will join other solidarity activists and rally to “Free Alex Saab!” on Monday, December 12 at 8 a.m., Wilkie D. Ferguson Jr. U.S. Courthouse, 400 N Miami Avenue, Miami, Florida.

There is also a protest to “Free Alex Saab!” in New York City at the United Nations, 46th Street and First Avenue, at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, December 9.

Then a large Milwaukee coalition hosts a Human Rights Day program at 4 p.m., Saturday December 10, at 2319 East Kenwood Boulevard that includes the movie, Alex Saab: A Kidnapped Diplomat.

As well, there will be a Detroit protest demanding “Free Alex Saab!” at the Rosa Parks Federal Building in at 6 p.m., 333 Mount Elliott Street, on Monday, December 12.

#MiamiFL #Venezuela #HandsOffVenezuela #AlexSaab #BolivarianRepublicOfVenezuela #Americas

Arlington, TX – On November 9, Dozthor Zurlent, a former adviser to Hugo Chavez, came to the University of Texas at Arlington to give a lecture to over 30 attendees on the status of the Bolivarian Revolution.

Dozthor Zurlent recounted how, despite Venezuela being termed as “rich” prior to the tenure of Hugo Chavez, the actual living conditions of the ordinary people did not reflect this. Housing was always cramped, nearly slums. The housing issue was a priority for Hugo Chavez, as it is with current President Nicholas Maduro.

Dozthor also explained how the economic war on Venezuela, the sanctions on the Bolivarian Republic, ravished the economy by making it incredibly difficult to continue to sustain the needs of the people.

Alex Saab, a business leader from the food producing industry, offered to assist in this regard and was given diplomatic status by the Venezuelan government – and despite this the United States illegally detained him in Cape Verde and now in Miami. Several students had questions about how they can help with easing the crisis in Venezuela and how international events, such as Gustav Petro’s victory in Colombia, will effect Venezuela.

Zurlent said that many of the great things that are happening now – such the elections of progressives in Colombia and in Brazil – could not have been possible without the Bolivarian Revolution.

Members of the Progressive Student Union, the Dallas Anti War Committee, Freedom Road Socialist Organization, the Party for Socialism and Liberation, and the Democratic Socialists of America attended the event.

All the participants gathered for a photo and later video to call for the release of Alex Saab.

#ArlingtonTX #Venezuela #PeoplesStruggles #BolivarianRevolution #AlexSaab #Americas

A dozen cities throughout the United States, from New York City to Miami, to Chicago to Tucson, will host livestreaming events of the movie.

“It is imperative that activists in the United States show solidarity with the people of Venezuela, who have been tirelessly resisting illegal actions by the United States against their country for over a decade,” said Tom Burke, organizational secretary with the Freedom Road Socialist Organization. “We have been part of the Free Alex Saab Committee since its inception, and we will be watching the film here in Grand Rapids, Michigan to express our unity with the Bolivarian Republic and its people, and to demand the release of their heroic diplomat.”

Alex Saab was illegally arrested, tortured and imprisoned simply for securing funds, food items and medicine for the people of Venezuela to continue to thrive. For over a decade, the United States has tried to wreak havoc on Venezuela through multilateral sanctions (even during COVID), attempted destabilization efforts, and even assassination attempts – all tactics that have failed miserably and which Venezuela has overcome, in large part thanks to the work of patriotic Venezuelans like Alex Saab.

By putting Saab on trial, the United States has gone against international and U.S. laws alike. International law clearly states that diplomats cannot be extradited, arrested and imprisoned by foreign governments, especially for made-up charges such as the one against Alex Saab. The United States is clearly an empire on its last legs, and it is lashing out with all tools in its arsenal, trying not to lose its grasp on global hegemony, which it sees slipping from its fingers.

We demand the U.S. government stop all attacks on Venezuela, its people, and its representatives! Free Alex Saab!

#MiamiFL #AntiwarMovement #Venezuela #Movies #HandsOffVenezuela #AlexSaab #Americas

Miami, FL – 20 activists gathered at the Federal Courthouse here, to demand the release of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab, who has been detained in Miami since October when the United States government kidnapped him from Cape Verde. Saab’s supporters brought banners and signs with messages of solidarity, chanted “Free Alex Saab” and answered questions from reporters who converged on the courthouse.

Eminent Puerto Rican freedom fighter and longtime political prisoner Oscar Lopez Rivera delivered a powerful speech to the crowd. He explained ,“The Venezuelan people as well as the Puerto Rican people are fighting for their sovereignty. The United States intends to strangle the Venezuelan economy and break the legitimate resistance of the people of Simon Bolivar, the liberator.” He added, “As a former political prisoner, as a man who has fought against colonialism, and as a Latin American, I invite all my fellow Puerto Ricans to join our campaign for Alex Saab's freedom.”

Inside, Saab appeared in court for a hearing where the judge decided that the date for his trial will be October 11. In the meantime, Saab’s lawyers will be challenging the legality of his extradition based on the fact that he should have diplomatic immunity.

Gage Lacharite, who traveled from Tampa to represent the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) said, “In the past the CSFR has successfully organized to defend the Antiwar 23 and Chicano leader Carlos Montes, and fought hard to defend Palestinian icon Rasmea Odeh. Today we stand with the Bolivarian revolution and with Alex Saab, who has been targeted by the U.S. government because he represents the one and only President of Venezuela, Nicolas Maduro.”

#Miami #Venezuela #PoliticalPrisoners #OscarLopezRivera #AlexSaab

Free Alex Saab! A Conversation with Camila Saab, wife of Venezuelan diplomat kidnapped by Biden Administration

Saab has played an important role in allowing Venezuela to bypass economic sanctions imposed by the U.S., which is attempting to destabilize the Maduro government. Saab’s business acumen and clever tactics are part what allows Venezuela to obtain chemicals and minerals needed for material inputs, equipment and replacement parts for a productive and growing economy. The Venezuelan economy is set to grow rapidly this year after two troublesome years caused by U.S. sanctions and the COVID pandemic.

Despite intimidating U.S. Navy patrols, ships from Iran with much needed oil-refining chemicals and machine parts are arriving at Venezuelan ports. Oil production is back online and reached historic highs in December. Many economists are predicting stabilization, and new growth of over 7% for Venezuela in 2022.

The AFGJ Webinar is co-sponsored by over two dozen groups including United Anti War Committee (UNAC), the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) and the Solidarity Committee of the Americas of Women Against Military Madness.

Tom Burke, speaking for the CSFR said, “We denounce this sham trial of Alex Saab as an outrageous act of aggression against the sovereign Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. This U.S. kidnapping of a Venezuelan diplomat shows the U.S. empire’s efforts to harass and sanction Venezuela knows no bounds. We will expose these court proceedings to the world.”

Activists in Florida are rallying outside the Miami courthouse during Alex Saab’s next hearing on February 16. Help send a message to the Biden administration: “Free Alex Saab!”

#TucsonAZ #AntiwarMovement #PeoplesStruggles #PoliticalPrisoners #AllianceForGlobalJustice #PoliticalRepression #AlexSaab #BolivarianRepublicOfVenezuela

Saab is a unique man who has again and again outsmarted U.S. attempts to punish Venezuela through economic sanctions. The U.S. sanctions aim to shut down sections of the Venezuelan economy – the oil industry, mining and mineral sectors, as well as causing havoc to the water and electricity systems. However, Saab’s international deal-making has frustrated U.S. plans again and again.

Saab is the Venezuelan government’s diplomat who trades Venezuelan oil and minerals for material inputs, machines and replacement parts for a productive and growing economy in Venezuela. Despite U.S. Navy patrols, ships from Iran with much needed oil-refining chemicals and machine parts are arriving at Venezuelan ports. Thus, oil production is back online and reached historic highs in December. Many economists are predicting stabilization, and now growth of over 7% for Venezuela in 2022.

This latest delay in Saab’s 20-month ordeal as a political prisoner is in part due to the Omicron variant of COVID. The Omicron variant is ravaging the U.S. while the Biden administration dithers. The hospital system is overloaded as infection rates soar higher than ever, and American death rates are climbing towards 1 million in the new year. Like millions of other prisoners in the U.S., Saab’s health is at risk in the Miami federal prison.

Originally, the U.S. government bullied Cape Verde, an island country off the coast of Africa, to seize and detain Alex Saab off of a private flight that was refueling on June 12, 2020. Then as a new government in Cape Verde committed to release him, the U.S. forced Saab on to a flight that arrived in Miami, Florida on October 16, 2021. The U.S. ignored court rulings and international law in this process, essentially kidnapping another country’s diplomat.

Once in Miami, Saab faced trial on eight counts, but the U.S. government dropped seven of those due to an agreement with Cape Verde. This leaves only a conspiracy to launder money charge. This charge will be difficult to defend against, given the use of DEA informants and behind the scenes deals by U.S. prosecutors with those who fled criminal charges and justice in Venezuela.

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) is one of many groups protesting Saab’s prosecution by the Biden administration. Tom Burke, speaking for the CSFR said, “We denounce this sham trial as an outrageous act of aggression against the sovereign Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. This U.S. kidnapping of a Venezuelan diplomat shows the U.S. empire’s efforts to harass and sanction Venezuela knows no bounds. We will not let this outrage stand. We will protest together in solidarity outside the courts in Miami, Florida and send a message to the Biden White House and U.S. State Department. Free Alex Saab now! See you on February 16 at the courthouse in Miami.”

#MiamiFL #Venezuela #Americas #PeoplesStruggles #AlexSaab

Miami, FL – Protesters gathered outside the Miami Federal Courthouse in on Monday, November 15 to protest the U.S. government’s illegal kidnapping and imprisonment of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab. Saab is being held in a federal detention center in Miami.

At Saab’s arraignment he pled, “Not guilty!” to the single charge of “conspiracy to commit money laundering” being levied against him by prosecutors. The six other charges were dropped at Saab’s last court appearance.

While the arraignment proceeded inside the courthouse, ten protesters outside held a large banner and chanted, “Free Alex Saab!”

The spirited protest in Miami was one of dozens held across the country, in solidarity with Alex Saab and Venezuela. Thousands of people took to the streets that day, from Miami to New York, Vancouver to Chicago. In Caracas, thousands of motorists rallied in his support and to defend their country’s sovereignty. Only one week ago, hundreds lined up to receive copies of a book of letters written by Saab himself.

Inside the courtroom, Saab was hauled in front of a judge chained at his legs. This comes after weeks of detention in the United States and months behind bars in the island nation of Cape Verde. Sadly, this is not an unusual move by the American government, as the United States is used to playing global policeman. In fact, the United States has made a habit of throwing bogus charges at any who dare resist its attempts at global empire.

People Opposed to War, Imperialism, and Racism (POWIR) in Miami is joining many other groups in pledging their support for Alex Saab and Venezuelan sovereignty. POWIR opposes the Biden administration’s continuing economic war of U.S. sanctions on the people of Venezuela.

One of the national groups in the coalition supporting Saab is the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR). The CSFR plans to protest outside the upcoming trial and will demand to be let in the Miami courtroom. CSFR is calling upon activists from across the country to join them in Miami during the trial.

#MiamiFL #PeoplesStruggles #PoliticalRepression #AlexSaab

Fight Back News Service is circulating the following statement from the Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR).

The Committee to Stop FBI Repression (CSFR) is calling on people to join a rally to “Free Alex Saab Now!” on Monday, November 15. Alex Saab is a good man who has done nothing wrong, only opposed U.S. sanctions and aggression against Venezuela. It is the U.S. government and President Joe Biden who should be put on trial for their ongoing harassment of Venezuela’s democratic and popular Bolivarian Revolution.

Rally, Monday, Nov. 15, 9:30 a.m. EST Miami Federal Courthouse, 400 North Miami Ave Miami, Florida

At the previous court date of Alex Saab on October 24, the U.S. Prosecutor dropped seven of the eight charges used to extradite him from Cape Verde to the United States. Saab was detained in Cape Verde while flying to Iran to arrange trade deals that break the illegal U.S. sanctions on Venezuela. The U.S. has effectively locked Venezuela out of the international banking system, but the Bolivarian Revolution continues to find ways to trade and barter.

The U.S. extradition of Saab is also considered illegal by the Venezuelan government who are vehemently protesting on behalf of their diplomat. The lawyers in Miami demanded the single charge of conspiracy be dropped due to Saab’s diplomatic status. However, the U.S. government does not have relations with, nor recognize the government of Venezuela.

“We condemn this illegal attempt by the U.S. justice system to imprison and put on trial a Venezuelan diplomat. The U.S. has a long history of furthering its imperialist agenda by making false accusations against the forces in its way, international and domestic. The only way to win in the face of this is solidarity between these forces and fighting back,” said Will Blake of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression at the October rally in Miami.

The timing of Saab’s arraignment comes a week prior to important elections in Venezuela. Many wealthy Venezuelans, with ties to U.S. banks and corporations, have moved to Miami over the past twenty years. A few prominent ones are wanted for crimes in Venezuela. They continue to interfere in Venezuela’s elections and even attempt to organize armed attacks and sabotage of infrastructure from Florida. It is no coincidence Saab is being put on trial in Miami.

By joining and supporting the “Free Alex Saab Now!” rally in Miami November 15, we will be acting in solidarity with his family and supporters at a rally in Venezuela. There is also a book release about the life and role of Alex Saab in Caracas.

Stay tuned for our next CSFR update when we know the trial dates for Alex Saab and we will announce a plan for as many activists as possible to attend his trial and pack the courtroom in Miami.

#UnitedStates #Venezuela #AlexSaab #Americas

Miami, FL – On October 24, 30 protesters rallied against the illegal U.S. extradition of Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab. The U.S. Hands Off Cuba and Venezuela South Florida Coalition hosted the event at the Torch of Friendship Park in front of a Simón Bolivar statue. Other groups in attendance included the Bolivarian Circle, POWIR and the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.

Alex Saab was arrested in Cabo Verde in June 2020 while in route to Iran for a trade deal that would help Venezuela amidst the historic U.S. blockade. Venezuela has struggled to provide its people with food and other basic necessities because of U.S. sanctions, coupled with the COVID-19 pandemic. Saab was extradited to the U.S. on October 18.

“Everyone should unite with the Bolivarian Circle of Miami and condemn all the actions of the empire, kidnapping blockades and coups. We all need to realize we share an interest in putting an end to these policies,” said Alexa Weber of the Bolivarian Circle.

“We condemn this illegal attempt by the U.S. justice system to imprison and put on trial a Venezuelan diplomat. The U.S. has a long history of furthering its imperialist agenda by making false accusations against the forces in its way, international and domestic. The only way to win in the face of this is solidarity between these forces and fighting back,” said Will Blake of the Committee to Stop FBI Repression.

The protesters united around the need to continue fighting to free Alex Saab and to end the horrific U.S. sanctions starving Venezuelans. There will be another Free Alex Saab protest Monday, November 1 outside the Miami Federal Detention Center.

#MiamiFL #Venezuela #PeoplesStruggles #AlexSaab #Americas

As the plane needed to refuel on its long flight, it touched down in Cape Verde, off the coast of West Africa. Cape Verde is a country known for its fierce anti-colonial liberation struggle from Portugal. Now however, Cape Verde takes orders from the U.S. empire, and breaking both its own and international laws, it detained Alex Saab.

Saab is held on bogus charges, a hallmark of U.S. extradition claims. The U.S. claimed that he laundered money into Swiss banks. After two years of investigation, the Swiss government determined the charges unfounded. The U.S. even tried to cover its tracks of illegal detention by having INTERPOL post a ‘red notice’ for Saab’s arrest the day after he was actually arrested. This was dismissed by the Cape Verde Supreme Court.

Despite the fact that Saab broke no law in any country and the charges against have been proven bogus, he remains under arrest in Cape Verde awaiting extradition to the United States.

“To me, this sounds very dirty, similar to the case of Colombian revolutionary Simon Trinidad who the U.S. extradited in 2004 for resisting the U.S. war in his own country. It took four trials in the U.S. to convict Trinidad on one charge. He is now in Florence supermax prison, but he should be set free,” said Tom Burke of the Committee to Free Simon Trinidad.

Burke continued, “Now the U.S. is waging a low-intensity war on Venezuela. President Trump vastly expanded the illegal economic sanctions against Venezuela. Then Trump tried a violent coup and assassination attempts against President Maduro. It is outrageous!”

“Saab needs to be set free now. The U.S. case against Saab smells like rotting fish. Biden needs to stop this immediately,” Burke emphasized.

Venezuela sent Saab to Iran to broker food trade deals because U.S. sanctions are the single greatest cause of economic hardship for the Venezuelan people. They cost billions in lost oil revenues, which the Venezuelan government uses for important social programs that serve the working class.

Despite the sanctions and the illegal embargo by the U.S. Navy off the coast of Venezuela, the Bolivarian Revolution continues to thrive and finds ways to provide for its people. This feeble attempt by Biden and the U.S. State Department reveals the weaknesses of the U.S. empire.

The United States continues to punish Venezuela for pursuing political independence, economic development and solidarity with its neighbors. Despite all the economic sanctions, medical equipment embargos and coup attempts, Venezuela continues to arrange trade deals with partners and provide a good life for the majority of working people.

#TucsonAZ #Venezuela #PeoplesStruggles #AlexSaab #Americas

As the plane needed to refuel on its long flight, it touched down in Cape Verde, off the coast of West Africa. Cape Verde is a country known for its fierce anti-colonial liberation struggle from Portugal. Now however, Cape Verde takes orders from the U.S. empire, and breaking both its own and international laws, it detained Alex Saab.

Saab is held on bogus charges, a hallmark of U.S. extradition claims. The U.S. claimed that he laundered money into Swiss banks. After two years of investigation, the Swiss government determined the charges unfounded. The U.S. even tried to cover its tracks of illegal detention by having INTERPOL post a ‘red notice’ for Saab’s arrest the day after he was actually arrested. This was dismissed by the Cape Verde Supreme Court.

Despite the fact that Saab broke no law in any country and the charges against have been proven bogus, he remains under arrest in Cape Verde awaiting extradition to the United States.

“To me, this sounds very dirty, similar to the case of Colombian revolutionary Simon Trinidad who the U.S. extradited in 2004 for resisting the U.S. war in his own country. It took four trials in the U.S. to convict Trinidad on one charge. He is now in Florence supermax prison, but he should be set free,” said Tom Burke of the Committee to Free Simon Trinidad.

Burke continued, “Now the U.S. is waging a low-intensity war on Venezuela. President Trump vastly expanded the illegal economic sanctions against Venezuela. Then Trump tried a violent coup and assassination attempts against President Maduro. It is outrageous!”

“Saab needs to be set free now. The U.S. case against Saab smells like rotting fish. Biden needs to stop this immediately,” Burke emphasized.

Venezuela sent Saab to Iran to broker food trade deals because U.S. sanctions are the single greatest cause of economic hardship for the Venezuelan people. They cost billions in lost oil revenues, which the Venezuelan government uses for important social programs that serve the working class.

Despite the sanctions and the illegal embargo by the U.S. Navy off the coast of Venezuela, the Bolivarian Revolution continues to thrive and finds ways to provide for its people. This feeble attempt by Biden and the U.S. State Department reveals the weaknesses of the U.S. empire.

The United States continues to punish Venezuela for pursuing political independence, economic development and solidarity with its neighbors. Despite all the economic sanctions, medical equipment embargos and coup attempts, Venezuela continues to arrange trade deals with partners and provide a good life for the majority of working people.

#TucsonAZ #Venezuela #PeoplesStruggles #AlexSaab #Americas