Chile's Interior Minister Carolina Toja said all “eyes” were on Venezuela to act in pursuit of justice.
Chile has announced plans to seek the extradition of two Venezuelans considered suspects in the gruesome murder of a political dissident.
Chile's Interior Minister Carolina Toja told reporters on Friday that she called on her Venezuelan counterpart to be a partner in her country's pursuit of justice.
“What happened in this crime is important for Chile,” she said. Said. “We attach great importance to this issue, but it is also important to Venezuela.”
He said Venezuela's actions on this issue would be “watched closely.” “A willingness to cooperate with this investigation must be demonstrated by the facts, firstly by finding those responsible and secondly by facilitating their exposure to justice.”
Toja's statement was made as part of an investigation into the murder of Ronald Ojeda, 32, a Venezuelan dissident and former military lieutenant.
Mr. Ojeda was imprisoned in Venezuela for treason. He fled to Chile in 2017, sought and was granted asylum.
Ojeda has continued to be a vocal critic of President Nicolas Maduro's government, which has been accused abroad of human rights abuses and repression of opposition.
But in the early morning hours of February 21, surveillance footage showed three men posing as Chilean police abducting Ojeda from her apartment. His body was found on the outskirts of Santiago on March 1, stuffed into a suitcase and buried under lime powder and cement.
Chilean police subsequently arrested a 17-year-old Venezuelan suspect with ties to Tren de Aragua, Venezuela's largest criminal network. Officials said two additional suspects had fled to Venezuela.
Chilean authorities suggested on Friday that the killing was politically motivated and orchestrated by Venezuela itself.
“We are talking about a victim who took part in actions against the Venezuelan government, but secondly, he has been detained in Venezuela for nine months. He has escaped and is seeking political asylum in Chile. ” said Hector Barros, a prosecutor with Santiago's Organized Crime and Homicide Team.
“Given his profile, there is no other option for investigation.”
But earlier this week, Venezuela objected to the continued existence of the criminal organization Torren de Aragua, with Foreign Minister Ivan Gil calling it a “fiction created by the international media.”
That was the trigger, protest From the Chilean government. “This is an insult to the people of Chile and Latin America,” Toja said on Monday, referring to the violence blamed on the group across the region.
Chilean President Gabriel Borich also announced on Thursday that he would recall his government's ambassador to Venezuela.
“The Venezuelan Prime Minister’s irresponsible statements ignoring the existence of Torren de Aragua are alarming, a serious insult to the victims of this organization, and a call to necessary international cooperation on security issues. It shows a lack of commitment.'' Borick wrote on social media.
Venezuela has not yet responded to Chile's latest extradition request. He denies responsibility for Ojeda's murder.
President Maduro is seeking a third term in the next presidential election scheduled for July 28th.
But his campaign has been marred by accusations that his government tried to intimidate and derail opponents through detentions, arrest warrants and bans from holding public office.
In a speech on Friday, Chile's Interior Minister Toja stressed the need to cooperate on issues of justice.
“A case like this, by all means, must be centered around justice being done, the truth being discovered, those responsible being found, and them facing sentences commensurate with the following crimes.” [their crimes],” she said.