Venezuelan opposition figures trapped in Argentine embassy speak for first time since leaving it

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CARACAS (AP) — Five Venezuelan opposition figures who had taken refuge in the Argentine embassy in Caracas for over a year appeared in public Saturday for the first time since leaving the diplomatic compound. Now in the United States, they described their flight from Venezuela as part of an “unprecedented” and ongoing rescue operation.

The Venezuelan government denies it was a rescue, claiming instead that it was part of a negotiation.

“Our rescue, our escape, was an unprecedented operation,” said Magalli Meda during a press conference in Washington. Meda is a member of the opposition group Vente Venezuela, led by opposition leader María Corina Machado.

Meda added that no details about the operation would be revealed, as it is “still in progress.”

Meda, along with Pedro Urruchurtu, Claudia Macero, Humberto Villalobos, Omar González and Fernando Martínez Mottola, took shelter in the Argentine diplomatic residence in Caracas after Venezuelan prosecutors ordered their arrest. They were accused of encouraging alleged violent acts aimed at destabilizing the government of President Nicolás Maduro which was cracking down on dissent following contested elections last year.

Since late November, the group had reported being constantly watched by intelligence agents and police outside the diplomatic residence. They also accused the Maduro government of cutting off water and electricity to the compound — accusations the government has denied.

Earlier this month, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced that “after a precise operation, all the hostages are now safe on U.S. soil.”

Meda called their exit a “miracle” after spending 412 days in the diplomatic compound. She described it as “a strategic operation involving many people and enormous risks.”

The Venezuelan government continues to reject the rescue narrative and Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello called the move “staged.”