MALAYSIAN CIVIL SOCIETY LEADERS, ACADEMICS CONDEMN US OPERATION IN VENEZUELA

KUALA LUMPUR, Jan 4 (Bernama) -- Malaysian civil society leaders and academics today condemned in the strongest terms what they described as an unprovoked and illegal United States (US) military operation in Venezuela.

Executive Chairman of think tank, Polity, Nurul Izzah Anwar, Co-Chair of ASEAN Parliamentarians for Human Rights (APHR) Charles Santiago, Third World Network  (TWN) executive director Chee Yoke Ling, Universiti Sultan Zainal Abidin professor, Prof Dr Mohd Afandi Salleh, Malaysian Humanitarian Aid and Relief (MAHAR) president Jismi Johari and Sahabat Alam Malaysia (SAM) president Meenakshi Raman issued a joint statement warning that the US’ action constituted a serious violation of international law and threatened global peace and stability.

“This act of aggression constitutes a flagrant violation of the United Nations Charter and fundamental principles of international law, including the prohibition on the use of force and the right of all peoples to self-determination,” they said. 

The group called for the immediate cessation of all military actions against Venezuela, the withdrawal of foreign forces from its territory and airspace, and full respect for the country’s sovereignty, political independence and right to control its natural resources.

“The world must not stand silent. We urge all people of conscience, civil society organisations, and member states committed to a just and peaceful international order to join us in condemning this outrage,” they said. 

They also urged the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly to convene urgently to address what they described as a breach of international peace and security, and to ensure accountability for any violations of international law.

-- BERNAMA