Venezuelan opposition members say they’re under ‘siege’ as they take refuge in an embassy

Five political asylum seekers – all members of the Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s team – have been sheltering in the Argentine embassy for more than nine months. Now, they say, they are under “siege” by Venezuelan security forces.

The residence of the Argentine ambassador in Caracas, Venezuela, is mostly silent these days. Rather than diplomatic chatter or Christmas carols at this time of the year, the only noise is that of a small diesel power generator the residents turn on twice a day to charge their phones. The rest of the time, the mansion sits almost still, the occupants busy with their own solitary tasks, like an oversized prison with few inmates. There are no diplomats inside the compound – the Venezuelan government kicked out the ambassador shortly after President Nicolas Maduro proclaimed himself the winner of July’s contested presidential election and Buenos Aires cried foul. Instead, five political asylum seekers – all members of the Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s team – have been sheltering here for more than nine months. Now, they say, they are under “siege” by Venezuelan security forces. “The pressure from the government has been escalating in the last few weeks. Psychological torture, we are under constant surveillance, and nobody can visit us without authorization … the spiritual damage we are subject to is tremendous,” one of them, Omar Gonzalez, told a virtual press conference earlier this month. Following July’s election, the opposition campaign released tens of thousands of voting receipts that they said showed their candidate, Edmundo González, had won the contest. Independent observers and electoral experts told CNN that the receipts appear authentic and have questioned the electoral authority’s decision to announce Maduro as the winner.