Magalli Meda, a Venezuelan activist, stated on Saturday that the Argentine Embassy in Caracas, where six opposition members have sought refuge since March, has been without electricity for 35 days. She described the situation as a violation of human rights, referring to the embassy as a “prison embassy.”

In July, both Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and opposition candidate Edmundo González claimed victory in the Venezuelan presidential elections. Electoral authorities and the Supreme Court declared Maduro the winner. A Venezuelan court issued an arrest warrant in September for González following a criminal investigation into the disputed election. González later left for Spain after being granted safe passage under an agreement between Venezuela and Spain.

Argentina granted asylum and safe passage to six opposition members accused of conspiracy and treason. However, the Venezuelan government has refused to allow their departure. One of the asylum seekers, Fernando Martínez Mottola, a former advisor to the largest opposition coalition, left the Argentine Embassy last week. Venezuelan security forces have been accused of besieging the Argentine Embassy in an attempt to capture the six opposition members. González described the siege as “permanent.” Brazil has taken over operation of the embassy in an effort to defuse the crisis.

The General Secretariat of the Organization of American States (OAS) condemned the siege and acts of harassment, highlighting that the intimidating presence of armed personnel, along with power and water cuts and the disruption of food and water supplies, poses an imminent threat to the life and safety of the asylum seekers. The OAS further asserted that the immediate issuance of safe-conduct passes for asylum seekers is an urgent and imperative obligation.

According to Article 25 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the receiving State is obligated to provide full facilities for the performance of the mission’s functions. Additionally, Article 5 of the Convention on Diplomatic Asylum stipulates that “asylum may only be granted in urgent cases and for the period strictly necessary for the asylee to leave the country. This departure must be guaranteed by the territorial State to ensure that the asylee’s life, liberty, or personal integrity is not endangered, or that their safety is otherwise effectively protected.”