Argentine court files request to extradite Nicolás Maduro

An Argentine court requested on Wednesday that ousted Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro be extradited from the United States to Argentina.  The news comes a month after Maduro was captured by the United States from his residence in Caracas in a military operation. He is currently in New York City, where he is facing several charges, among them for “narcoterrorism.”  The Argentine government also confirmed that Roberto Baldo, an Argentine citizen detained in Venezuela, had been freed days prior. Extradition to Argentina The Argentine Federal Criminal Courthouse N°2 asked the foreign ministry to request the United States extradite Maduro to question him in Argentina over accusations of human rights abuses.  Argentina signed an extradition treaty with the United States in 1997. The case against Maduro in Argentina was started by the Clooney Foundation for Justice, founded by U.S. actor George Clooney. Court documents state that the probe is based on various alleged “crimes against humanity” committed by the Venezuelan government since 2014. The complaint centers around two Venezuelan citizens who were killed by agents of the Bolivarian National Guard. Although the two were convicted in their home country, the complaint claims that the investigation did investigate the chain of command. The lawsuit quoted segments of the Argentine Constitution and the Rome Statute’s principles of universal jurisdiction, among other precedents, to argue why Maduro should be tried in Buenos Aires. The extradition request is also based on a complaint against Maduro filed by Waldo Wolff, a lawmaker from the center-right PRO party, representing the Argentine Forum for Democracy in the Region (FARES). Two Venezuelan citizens claiming to be victims of persecution and arbitrary detention by the Chavista government were plaintiffs in that case. At the time, both complaints saw resistance from lower Argentine courts.  The initial rejection was based on the fact the accusations were already being investigated by the International Criminal Court, which originated from a joint submission by American states, including Argentina, in September 2018.  Wolff and the Clooney Foundation, however, appealed the decision and managed to get their complaints filed in Argentine courts. Another Argentina freed  On Wednesday, the Argentine government confirmed that Argentine citizen Roberto Baldo, who was detained in Venezuela, had been released from prison days earlier. A source with knowledge of the matter told the Herald that Baldo was released from prison, but that “he is not yet completely free” as he is “still subject to restrictions.” Since January 8, 350 political prisoners in Venezuela have been released, NGO Foro Penal confirmed. Earlier this week, another Argentine citizen, Gustavo Gabriel Rivara, was released in Venezuela. There are currently two Argentine prisoners considered to be victims of arbitrary or political detentions — military police officer Nahuel Gallo and lawyer Germán Giuliani.