Chile issues international arrest warrant for suspects in kidnapping and murder of former Venezuelan military officer

Police and forensic investigators work in the area where the body of former Venezuelan military officer Roland Ojeda was found in Santiago, Chile, March 1, 2024. (AP Photo/Esteban Felix)

Chile issued orders international occupation Against people suspected of kidnapping and murdering a former Venezuelan refugee Ronald OjedaDissatisfied with the government of Nicolás Maduro, in a case that shocked public opinion and generated strong political reactions.

Chile’s Interior Minister Carolina Toha confirmed the issuance of the arrest request before attending a special session of the Senate that addressed the issue of Ojeda’s kidnapping, an incident that was controversial due to reactions from across Chile’s political spectrum. It was done. Considering the hypothesis that there may be a political motive in the murder of the former Venezuelan lieutenant.

Toha indicated in his speech before the Senate that the investigation, which was confidential, was aimed firstly at protecting the life of the abducted person and secondly at not providing information that could benefit the perpetrators of the crime.

Along these lines, he questioned the press leak, which in recent hours reported that the two main suspects in the kidnapping were linked to a Venezuelan international criminal organization. aragua trainHe has been out of the country for several days.

Their cell phones were then tracked and they were located in the northern regions of Chile, where there is a porous border. Bolivia And peruWhich is difficult for the Chilean authorities to control Through which irregular migration has taken place in recent years.

Chile’s national prosecutor Angel Valencia said hours earlier that it was not possible to trace the whereabouts of the two men of Venezuelan nationality for whom arrest warrants are pending.

A third suspect, a 17-year-old Venezuelan citizen with irregular status, already in custody, was released into provisional detention during the 60 days established by the judiciary for investigation, which is equivalent to preventive detention for minors. .

Ronald Ojeda, a former Venezuelan lieutenant who defined himself on his social networks as a former political prisoner, was kidnapped by three men from his home in an ordinary neighborhood of Santiago in the early hours of February 21, Who pretended to belong to the Chilean police. The fact is that it was recorded by security cameras that were not stolen by the kidnappers.

About ten days later he was found dead, buried in a suitcase 1.40 meters deep under a cement slab in an area of ​​irregular housing settlements. According to the autopsy, the cause of death was suffocation.

Prosecutors attribute involvement in the incidents to Tren de Aragua, a Venezuelan international organized crime organization. The Ojeda family’s lawyers state that they have no doubt that this was a “crime for hire”.

Prosecutor Valencia also stressed that it was necessary to investigate more deeply how Ojeda made a living in Chile.

Toha said, “It would be wise for the Prosecutor’s Office to launch an investigation into the leaks and not to persecute the journalists but those who informed them, since the only ones with access to these folders are agents of the state.” Accused the officers who gave the information and said that the leak should not be normalized.

Senate President Juan Antonio Coloma said, “During the past two weeks, the country has witnessed one of the most horrific incidents of violence of international importance in recent decades.”

Coloma said in justifying the session in the Senate, “We cannot ignore the kidnapping, murder, and persecution in another country of a person who has received political asylum in our country and where people from that country also appear to be connected. ” Was not well received by the ruling party.

Rojo Edwards, an independent senator previously associated with the far-right Republican Party, insisted that Ojeda “was persecuted by the Maduro government, he was tortured, we have his detailed notes, the suspects are Venezuelans, Organized crime or gangs are Venezuelans, he said, pointing out that the hypothesis that the Maduro government was behind it could not be ruled out.

Several MPs pointed out that Chile had failed to protect a political refugee.

The Senate addressed the situation of other refugees who have requested protection. The Minister of the Interior explained that refugee status guarantees expedited administrative procedures and permanent residence in Chile, but does not mean a high level of police protection unless requested.

“The government took the initiative to ensure that those who came to seek protection due to all the concerns that have arisen in relation to this crime are treated on a priority basis,” Toha said. He also said that the government has contacted people in a situation like Ojeda’s and asked them if they need support and, in relation to another large group of refugees, to strengthen the police presence and have agents attentive to them. Asked to stay. Look around to see if there is anything unusual.

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