Washington, DC – As the global outcry over the US abduction of Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro continues to grow, officials in Washington are relying on the United States’ own criminal charges to justify its military operation.But experts stress that countries cannot use their own indictments to attack another state, rejecting framing Maduro’s “capture” as a legal arrest.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list“There’s a very clear limit on enforcement jurisdiction internationally, and that is that one state cannot enforce its law on the territory of another state unless that state gives its consent,” said Margaret Satterthwaite, United Nations special rapporteur on the independence of judges and lawyers.“So if a state, for example, harboured someone that the US considered a fugitive, the US could approach that state and seek its consent to arrest them and bring them back to the US to stand trial. But it cannot go into another country without that state’s consent and grab up an individual, even if they are indicted properly by the US court system.”Maduro was indicted by the US Justice Department in 2020 on drug and gun charges. He made his first court appearance in New York on Monday after his abduction and professed his innocence, saying that he was “kidnapped”.Another international law issue that arises with Maduro’s abduction is the immunity of heads of state and other high-ranking officials from prosecution and civil penalties abroad – a principle that has been affirmed by the International Court of Justice and previously acknowledged by Washington. Advertisement …
