Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau responded to opposition leader María Corina Machado: "Venezuela is living a long nightmare, but it will come to an end"

Under Secretary of State of the United States Christopher Landau responded this Friday to Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado with a direct and emotional message in which he recognized her courage in the face of Nicolás Maduro's dictatorship and assured her that Venezuela's suffering will not be permanent. "Your beloved Venezuela, where I lived during my youth 40 years ago, has suffered a long and unimaginable nightmare. But all nightmares eventually come to an end," the diplomat wrote in his official account.

The publication was in response to a message from Machado on social networks, where she congratulated Landau for his intervention before the General Assembly of the Organization of American States (OAS), in which he questioned the role of the organization in the face of the Venezuelan crisis. "You inspire us all and can hold your head high before the world and before God. The regime and its cronies cannot say the same," added Landau, in a show of explicit support for the leader.

Machado thanked for the firmness of the speech

In her original message, María Corina Machado expressed her respect and gratitude to the U.S. official for what she described as a "forceful" intervention before the OAS. "You spoke with rare clarity about the erosion of the Inter-American system’s credibility and the urgent need to return to principle," she wrote, stressing that both the Inter-American Democratic Charter and the American Convention on Human Rights "are not symbolic; they are binding commitments."

Machado also defended the legacy of former Secretary General Luis Almagro for unambiguously denouncing the abuses of the regime and criticized governments that have chosen to remain silent. "When Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela are free, we will remember who stood firm and who looked away," he warned.

Landau questioned the role of the OAS in the face of electoral fraud.

During his remarks at the OAS General Assembly, U.S. Deputy Secretary of State Christopher Landau delivered strong criticism of the organization's lack of response to the recent presidential elections in Venezuela, held on July 28, 2024. Although Nicolás Maduro claimed victory, Landau emphasized that the vote tallies recognized by the international community pointed to a different outcome—one in favor of the opposition, led by María Corina Machado and represented by Edmundo González Urrutia.

In addition to highlighting the absence of concrete action regarding the presidential vote, the official also referred to the legislative and regional elections held in May, which he described as lacking legitimacy. He further pointed to the humanitarian consequences of the crisis, including the mass displacement of Venezuelan citizens.