The EU's new high representative for foreign affairs, former Spanish government minister Josep Borrell, has spoken out strongly this Saturday in support of elected members of a parliament who have been stripped of their rights to immunity after being accused of rebellion and other crimes. Borrell stated that the action to suspend the immunity of these MPs was a "serious breach" of democratic principles. However, despite the resemblance to actions taken in Borrell's home country with regard to the parliamentary immunity of Oriol Junqueras and other Catalan pro-independence leaders - which an EU court has this week ruled to be an error - the European foreign policy chief was commenting on events in Venezuela.
For the four opposition MPs in Venezuela, accused of crimes including rebellion, treason, conspiracy, and instigation of an insurrection, to have their parliamentary immunity withdrawn "is a grave violation of constitutional provisions, the rule of law and the democratic principle of separation of powers," emphasized Borrell in a statement on behalf of EU member states. According to the high representative, "ongoing actions against members of Venezuela's National Assembly, including persecution, intimidation and arbitrary arrest, are hindering the constitutional work of that Assembly."
The decision to suspend the four deputies was made by the Constituent Assembly in Caracas shortly after the country's Supreme Court of Justice transferred the case to it to decide on immunity, and after a request made by Attorney General Tarek William Saab.
Josep Borrell reiterated that a peaceful and political solution "can be achieved only if the National Assembly, the only democratically elected body in Venezuela, is fully respected and its members can freely carry out their constitutional prerogatives", emphasizing that only a democratic path will "resolve the Venezuelan crisis in a sustainable way and end the suffering of the population".
Borrell emphasized that the organization of "free and credible" presidential elections with international monitoring and the democratic reestablishment of state institutions, including the National Electoral Council and the Supreme Court of Justice, are "essential for a lasting solution" in the country, and on behalf of the EU, he urged all parties to Venezuela to engage in "credible, representative and inclusive" negotiations. The EU is committed to supporting these efforts, he said, especially through the international contact group which it has supported.
Earlier this week, while giving a press conference in his role as foreign policy head, Borrell commented on the situation of Catalan politician Carles Puigdemont in Belgium, making criticisms of the Belgian justice system which led an EU Commission to subsequently distance itself from their high representative's expression of his "personal opinions".