Last week Venezuelan dissident Lieutenant Ronald Ojeda was murdered after he was kidnapped in his apartment in Santiago, Chile. The Chilean prosecutor's office stopped searching for Ojeda after his body was found on March 2. However, several details are still unclear, such as who did it, why they did it and whether they had consent from Gabriel Boric’s government.
The Madrid Forum organization, which brings together parliamentarians and leaders from around the world, published a statement demanding Boric answer for the murder of Ojeda. The organization blames Nicolás Maduro’s dictatorship for his death.
The statement says, "The kidnapping and murder of the Venezuelan soldier Ronald Ojeda in Chile, where he had political asylum, requires that President Gabriel Boric define his position and that of his government regarding the crimes against humanity committed by the drug tyrant Nicolás Maduro.”
According to the Madrid Forum, "It is not enough for the Chilean government to deny its participation in this crime. Finding the criminals, clarifying the reasons for the execution of a political asylum seeker and bringing those involved to justice are unavoidable obligations."
🇨🇱 #Chile | BORIC DEBE RESPONDER POR EL ASESINATO DE OJEDA Y LA COMPLICIDAD DE MADURO
Lo mínimo que debe hacer Boric es:
- disculparse con el pueblo chileno al permitir que una potencia extranjera cometa un crimen en territorio nacional
-pedir perdón a la familia de Ojeda y a… pic.twitter.com/zeDO46y0wq
— Foro Madrid (@Foro_MAD) March 4, 2024
Ojeda was kidnapped from his apartment on February 21 of this year by several individuals dressed as Chilean immigration agents with Venezuelan accents, according to witnesses. After his kidnapping was reported, renowned former commissioner and dissident police officer Iván Simonovis claimed that he was kidnapped by the dictatorship as revenge.
🚨 | Denuncian que funcionarios de la DGCIM chavista secuestraron ilegalmente al teniente Ronald Ojeda Moreno, militar desertor venezolano, en Chile. pic.twitter.com/YvE0PGwai6
— VOZ (@VozMediaUSA) February 21, 2024
Retired Lieutenant Ojeda had previously been detained by the Maduro regime. In April 2017, the regime kidnapped him and charged him with rebellion, treason, and terrorism. He was then sentenced to live out his days in Ramo Verde, a prison where opposition leader Leopoldo López was also held.
During a transfer in November 2017, Lieutenant Ronald Ojeda managed to escape from prison and sought refuge in Chile. The Maduro regime continued to publicly attack him.
"The kidnapping was 'atypical.' No ransom demand. The victim had no ties to the underworld. He was an active opponent of the Maduro dictatorship—which accused him of treason. The operation was a complex and calculated commando-type deployment with intelligence support," says the Madrid Forum.
"A political murder commissioned from Caracas,” it said.
According to the organization, Gabriel Boric’s administration could not guarantee Ojeda’s safety. He was clearly being persecuted and at risk. The Madrid Forum warns every dissident and politically persecuted person in Chile that they are facing "a new and unprecedented insecurity in their nation."
The group calls on Boric to apologize for having allowed a “foreign power” to be deployed in Chilean territory. Therefore, the Forum believes Chile must report Maduro to the International Criminal Court and distance itself from the Venezuelan dictatorship.
