Dec. 11 (UPI) -- The United States on Wednesday added its name to a growing list of countries voicing concern over Venezuela preventing safe passage for a half dozen political opposition members who have been sheltering for months in the Argentine embassy in Caracas.
The six people sheltering in the embassy have been identified as members and supporters of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado. They have been there since March, fearing arrest.
Since Nov. 24, security forces have surrounded the embassy, according to Pedro Urruchurtu, Machado's international coordinator who is among those sheltering in the diplomatic facility.
Urruchurtu has reported that they have been subjected to blackouts and denied access to drinking water amid the police siege.
> 01:00AM del 24 de noviembre: Se incorpora una camioneta del SEBIN al despliegue de fuerzas de seguridad del régimen que asedian la residencia de la Embajada Argentina en Caracas, protegida por Brasil. pic.twitter.com/IVC4Ug9zmv— Pedro Urruchurtu Noselli (@Urruchurtu) November 24, 2024
In a statement Wednesday, State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said the United States "condemns in the strongest terms" Venezuela's refusal to allow those at the embassy to leave.
"The continued harassment endangers the safety of the mission and individuals who may be seeking temporary refuge," he said.
The six individuals sought shelter in the embassy after the Venezuelan Attorney General's Office issued arrest warrants for them in mid-March, ahead of the July 28 election in which President Nicolas Maduro won and Machado was banned from participating.
"We call for Maduro and his representatives to stop issuing politically motivated arrest warrants for members of the democratic opposition and to guarantee safe conduct for those sheltered in the Argentine Embassy," Miller said.
Several other countries have voiced concern over the situation as conditions at the embassy have deteriorated since it was surrounded by Venezuelan authorities.
Uruguay, in a statement, expressed its "extreme concern," describing the six embattled opposition members as "asylum seekers" who have been denied the ability to leave the country.
It called on Venezuela to respect United Nations conventions concerning diplomatic relations and asylum, while demanding the authorities "allow the asylum seekers to leave the country without endangering their lives, freedom or personal safety."
The foreign ministry of Argentina described the situation at its embassy in Caracas as "serious" and "alarming."
"We demand that the Maduro regime immediately issue the safe-conduct passes that guarantee their safe exit," it said in a statement while calling on the United Nations and other international organization to "adopt firm and urgent measures."