OAS calls for immediate release of fishermen and vessels
BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - THE Caribbean Community (CARICOM) is the latest regional institution to condemn Venezuela’s wanton action of intercepting and detaining two Guyanese fishing vessels and their crew members in the contentious waters between the two South American nations.
The two fishing vessels and the 12 Guyanese crew members were reportedly in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) when a Bolivarian Navy patrol vessel apprehended the men and instructed the captains to chart a course to Port Guiria in Venezuela, where the boats and crew have been detained.
Concerns were expressed by Guyana after no official word was sent from Venezuela on the men’s arrest and their current state.
In its statement, CARICOM expressed “grave concern at the escalation of tensions between Guyana and Venezuela caused by the interception and detention in Guyana’s Exclusive Economic Zone of two Guyanese fishing vessels by a Venezuelan naval vessel on January 21, 2021”.
The tension flared following the recent judgment by the International Court of Justice, which categorically stated that it had jurisdiction to hear the border case brought by Guyana against Venezuela.
Following that announcement by the ICJ, Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro issued a decree claiming that two-thirds of Guyana belong to his country.
CARICOM urged the Government of Venezuela to “respect the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Guyana and to desist from aggressive acts” that would seriously undermine the peace and security not only of Guyana and Venezuela but the entire Caribbean region.
To this end, CARICOM called for the immediate release of the crew members and the vessels.
The Organisation of American States (OAS) also condemned the illegal detention of the two Guyanese registered fishing vessels and their crew members, who were located within the Cooperative Republic of Guyana’s EEZ.
The General Secretariat demanded that the Guyanese citizens be released “promptly and safely to Guyanese authorities, as well as the two detained vessels”.
In a statement, the OAS added: “Moreover, the General Secretariat reiterates its support for the rules and processes set by international law regarding ongoing territorial conflicts. The resolution of the territorial dispute between Venezuela and Guyana is a matter that lies under international jurisdiction, and cannot be settled by unilateral actions. Any attempt to derail this international legal process, such as the decree issued by the Maduro regime, is contrary to international law and standards, and has no legal bearing or significance”.
