Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Bid for U.S. Asylum Triggers Dilemma
Venezuelan Prosecutor’s Bid for U.S. Asylum Triggers Dilemma
“The United States must be cautious not to inflame matters by acting too aggressively,” suggests COA’s Eric Farnsworth on the request for asylum by prosecutor Franklin Nieves.
WASHINGTON
A Venezuelan prosecutor’s plea for asylum in the United States after confessing he sent the country’s opposition leader, Leopoldo López, to prison on trumped-up charges has set off a moral and political dilemma from Miami to Washington.
Many Venezuelan-Americans, including an influential group of former political prisoners in Miami, oppose protecting the former official, Franklin Nieves, who is seen as a longtime enforcer of the Caracas regime’s abuse of power.
But South Florida leaders in Washington and the Obama administration – which has already spoken out against López’s imprisonment – must also weigh whether it’s worth working with unsavory insiders like Nieves if it means more leverage against President Nicolás Maduro and his administration – especially with critical parliamentary elections looming next month.
In an interview at the Capitol’s Speaker’s Lobby, just off the floor of the House of Representatives, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, a Miami Republican, said he was skeptical about Nieves’ request for asylum considering that his role “in the oppression machine of going after political opponents” was very recent. He noted that López was sentenced to nearly 14 years in prison only two months ago....
