Argentina has called on the International Criminal Court (ICC) to issue an arrest warrant for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and other officials, citing alleged human rights violations during a crackdown on post-election unrest.

Iran PressAmerica: The actions taken by Maduro’s government since the July 28 ballot could “constitute crimes against humanity,” the Argentinian Foreign Ministry claimed on Friday. The statement said a request to the court would be submitted on Monday.

According to the National Electoral Council of Venezuela, Maduro won the July presidential election with 52% of the vote. The Western-backed opposition, however, has accused officials in Caracas of rigging the ballot, with rival candidate Edmundo Gonzalez claiming he received 67%.

Protests swept the country after the results were announced. Maduro condemned the unrest as an attempted “coup against Venezuela,” and more than 2,000 demonstrators have since been arrested. Caracas also launched a criminal investigation into opposition figures Edmundo Gonzalez and Maria Corina Machado, after they called on the armed forces to drop their support for the president.

In the aftermath of the contested vote, many nations – including Russia and China – congratulated Maduro on his re-election. The US, along with the EU and several other countries including Argentina, have since refused to recognize Maduro as the legitimate president.

The feud has sparked a war of words – with Maduro calling the Argentinian president “monster face” after Javier Milei branded Maduro a dictator and told him to “get out.” Venezuela ordered the closure of Argentina’s diplomatic mission after the election and recalled its staff from Buenos Aires.

Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado on Thursday vowed to keep the pressure on President Nicolás Maduro to leave office in January.

She also urged the international community to rise to the occasion by immediately recognizing her faction’s presidential candidate as the winner of the election in July and implement measures to hold government officials accountable for abuses unleashed after the vote.

The Venezuelan Opposition Does Not Accept Defeat in Elections

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