In the early morning of Jan. 3, the United States military took President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, into custody. This attack follows months of escalation against Venezuela, including boat strikes that have killed more than 100 people, the seizure of two oil tankers, and a buildup of U.S. forces in the region. Both Maduro and Flores are slated to face narco-terrorism and drug trafficking charges in a New York federal court.
The Episcopal Church has longstanding policy that “condemn[s] in any nation the first use of armed force in the form of a preventive or pre-emptive strike that is aimed at disrupting a non-imminent, uncertain military threat.”
Please join us in calling on Congress to investigate this operation, which marks a striking and unprecedented escalation of conflict. Read our full statement here.
Reach out to your members of Congress today and ask for accountability and a clear way ahead.
Episcopal Church Resolutions:
2018-A215: Express Solidarity with the Diocese of Venezuela
2012-A016: Affirm the Moral Responsibility to Protect Populations from Atrocities
2009-A042: Condemn and Renounce the First Use of Armed Military Force