The government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has ended Brazil’s authority to represent Argentine interests in the country, in the latest example of post-election tensions.
The decision would halt Brazil’s stewardship of Argentina’s embassy in Caracas, which currently shelters six Venezuelan opposition members seeking asylum.
In a statement on Saturday, Maduro’s government said that the decision was effective immediately, arguing, without proof, that assassination attempts were being planned within the diplomatic facility.
Maduro and his allies have sought to crack down on opposition members, following a contested presidential election in July.
But Brazil pushed back, releasing its own statement that it would not surrender its authority over the embassy. It also underscored that international law prevents local law enforcement from entering diplomatic facilities without permission.
“The Brazilian government highlights in this context, under the terms of the Vienna Conventions, the inviolability of the facilities of the Argentine diplomatic mission,” the Brazilian government said in a press release.
Argentina had severed relations with the Maduro government, and Brazil agreed to take custody of the embassy in order to continue the representation of Argentine interests in Venezuela. Brazil said that it would continue to do so until Venezuela selects another government to oversee those responsibilities.
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