Venezuela interim president Delcy Rodríguez says citizens did not deserve ‘vile aggression’

Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez has condemned what she described as “vile, warmongering aggression” by the United States, saying Venezuelan citizens did not deserve such actions, Spanish news outlet El Cooperante reported.

In a message directed at Washington, Rodríguez announced plans to construct a monument honouring all citizens who died during the US military incursion into Venezuela on January 3.

“No one surrendered here; there was a fight for this homeland, for our liberators, for Chávez, and for Venezuela,” Rodríguez was quoted as saying. “That is our greatest satisfaction and our response. We will face them and show what the children of Bolívar are made of.”

She said weapons in Venezuela are used solely to defend the population, sovereignty and national dignity, and not for acts of aggression against other countries.

Rodríguez added that Venezuela would give the United States a “lesson in diplomacy,” citing the country’s legacy rooted in the ideals of Simón Bolívar. “Our liberator never taught our men and women in arms to be warmongers or to use supremacy to humiliate others,” she said.

She also paid tribute to Venezuelan and Cuban citizens killed during the incursion, calling them “children of the homeland” who gave their lives for humanity. Rodríguez further announced the formation of a commission to support the families of the deceased, according to El Cooperante.

Machado reiterates call for release of political prisoners

Meanwhile, Nobel Peace Prize recipient Maria Corina Machado said she would continue her efforts until all “political prisoners” in Venezuela are freed, following the government’s announcement regarding the release of a group of detainees.

“Today, the truth that was persecuted and silenced for years is finally breaking through,” Machado said, as quoted by El Cooperante. She acknowledged the resilience of detainees’ families, calling the moment an “act of moral restitution” and adding that “dignity knows how to wait without surrendering and ultimately triumph.”

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