RIO DE JANEIRO, Sept 24 (Bernama-dpa) -- An Argentine court on Monday ordered the arrest of a number of Venezuelan government officials, including President Nicolás Maduro, as part of a case alleging crimes against humanity, the German news agency (dpa) reported.
"The Argentine justice has ordered the arrest of Nicolás Maduro, Diosdado Cabello and other leaders of the Venezuelan government for crimes against humanity," said the Argentine Forum for the Defence of Democracy which brought the case.
"It was proven that in Venezuela, there is a systematic plan of repression, forced disappearance of people, torture, homicides and persecution against a portion of the civilian population, developed, at least, from 2014 to the present," the 20-page ruling by the federal court in Buenos Aires read, according to local media citing it.
The Argentine judges based their decision on the principle of universal jurisdiction, which applies to cases of crimes against humanity.
Earlier on Monday, Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered the arrest of Argentinian President Javier Milei, Security Minister Patricia Bullrich and Karina Milei, the president's sister and presidential adviser, on charges including money laundering and unlawful deprivation of liberty.
Buenos Aires and Caracas have locked horns since the July 28 disputed presidential election, which was marred by accusations of widespread voter fraud.
Argentinian diplomats have been expelled from Venezuela in the wake of the election, while Buenos Aires has called on the International Criminal Court in The Hague to issue an arrest warrant for Maduro.
Maduro, who has been in power since 2013, secured a third term after the the country's electoral authority, which is stacked with government loyalists, declared him the winner.
The government has not provided any concrete voter tallies to back up Maduro's win. The opposition claims victory for its candidate, Edmundo González, and has significant support from other countries in the region and the United States.
González travelled to Spain on September 8 and has applied for political asylum there.
-- BERNAMA-dpa
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