The Venezuelan government has issued a decree ordering national police forces to locate and arrest individuals accused of promoting or supporting a recent armed attack by the United States, which resulted in the ousting of President Nicolás Maduro. The directive was published in full on Monday, detailing measures under a state of emergency declared over the weekend.
Decree Details and Directives
The state of emergency, put in place by authorities following the U.S. military action, contains explicit instructions for law enforcement. According to the official text of the decree published on Monday, it orders police to “immediately begin the national search and capture of everyone involved in the promotion or support for the armed attack by the United States.”
This legal framework grants security forces broad authority to detain individuals allegedly connected to the foreign intervention.
Timeline of Implementation
The decree has been legally in force since Saturday, immediately following the attack that removed Maduro from power. However, its complete text and specific provisions were not made public until Monday’s official publication.
The release of the full document clarifies the government’s mandate to its security apparatus, formalizing the hunt for those deemed complicit with the U.S. operation. The move signals the administration’s first major coordinated legal and security response to the change in government.
