President Maduro’s speech welcoming freed Alex Saab to Venezuela

December 20, 2023

Good afternoon to all Venezuela, to the National Radio and Television network, to all national and international media and those through social networks. I want to welcome this brave, patriotic man who resisted 1280 days, 40 months, in the most adverse, most painful conditions of kidnapping, filthy prisons, physical torture, psychological torture, threats, lies. And after 1280 days of kidnapping, he has triumphed. The truth has triumphed, justice has triumphed –  what had to happen. Welcome, Alex Saab Moran. From your days of pain, of persecution against you, against your family. This I told Alex when I just gave him this hug. On this beautiful afternoon, with this beautiful sun in Caracas, on this happy Christmas of our people waiting for the year 2024. I knew that this day had to come and this day came. Blessed day, December 20, unforgettable forever in the year 2023. We have to talk about so many things. You have faced the toughest tests that a brave man with Palestinian blood knows how to endure.

I want to thank Dr. Jorge Rodríguez for all his efforts. To Dr. Héctor Rodríguez, governor of Miranda, who have led this entire process that has allowed this exchange today with the government of the United States of America and the healthy, alive and free rescue of Alex Moran, who was kidnapped for 1280 days. Our people will now know all the truths, how he has faced infamy, lies. Not a single proof in the lies and infamy that were told from Miami, from Bogotá. The only truth is of a brave man, businessman, diplomat, born in Colombia, nationalized Venezuelan whose only crime was finding ways to overcome criminal sanctions, the criminal blockade. Looking for medicines in the time of the pandemic. And there they captured him and kidnapped him.

All the medicines you looked for have arrived here. All the vaccines arrived here while you were kidnapped and tortured in Cape Verde, infamous, Cape Verde. All those vaccines and medicines arrived during that tremendous crisis due to the blockade. All the gasoline you got in the world arrived. All the food for the CLAP arrived while you were kidnapped, Alex. All this came for a worthy people. Now is a time of vindication of the truth, of vindication of justice. Hate couldn’t win, revenge couldn’t, lies couldn’t win. And as I always say, neither hate, nor fascism, nor revenge, nor violence, nor persecution could win today, nor will it ever be able to win against us. Because we are made of steel. We have been forged in the hard struggle of the centuries. We are made of centuries of struggles.

I also want to thank the negotiation part played by Dr. Gerardo Blay and the entire negotiation commission of the Barbados Table. They have also been part of the Barbados agreements and this exchange that took place today. I want to thank in a very special way the Emir of Qatar, the State of Qatar, the government of Qatar, because he has been a brilliant facilitator, with exquisite diplomacy for rapprochement, for dialogues,for the signing of the agreements. And for compliance of the signed agreements in Qatar.

I thank the entire commission and the entire team, Dr. Jorge Rodríguez. And for Cilia my wife, who received Alex on his first step of freedom on free land.

A free land has arrived, Alex, a worthy land, based on the resistance of the national union and the strength of our people, we are standing tall. With our faces to the sun, with our faces to the wind, he has arrived in our free land.

And I want it in a very special way to give recognition, gratitude and a huge hug to your wife, to Camila Saab, to your children, those who were at the forefront in a brave, loving way in all this battle day by day.

And they raised a powerful global movement of solidarity. The global movement of solidarity that arose in all the countries of the world was impressive, including in the United States, because there even in Florida, in Miami, where he was kidnapped, Alex, the solidarity movements reached there. A powerful cry arose, “Free Alex Saab!”  I want to thank all the men and women of the movement in Venezuela and in the entire world. Your freedom is due to their work, to their perseverance. That they were giving additional will to the Venezuelan people.

I was impressed by the manifestations of joy from people that you don’t even imagine could be happy and applauding your freedom. This freedom that we have achieved based on truth, based on justice, based on perseverance, Bolivarian perseverance, Chavista perseverance, our perseverance. In what is just in what is honorable. To overcome infamies and lies, persecutions, we campaign with a sword. The sword of Saint Michael the Archangel is ours to defeat all enemies and all injustices. So I greatly appreciate it. To all who have contributed to making this agreement be fulfilled.

And for this positive step to be taken for this exchange to take place. To President Joe Biden, from Caracas, Venezuela,  I tell him, as I have told all presidents. As I told President Obama, face to face. As I told President Trump through Dr. Jorge Rodríguez on multiple occasions.

Because we were talking to Trump about your liberation, and we almost had it ready. The thing is, he lost the election and there was a change of government and then we had to start everything from scratch. But with Donald Trump we already had an agreement ready, I say this for the first time.

We have persevered and I have told President Obama, I have told him. I have told President Trump to President Biden, Commander Chávez told it to the president Clinton. He told President George Bush. And he said it to President Obama too. And to the politicians of the United States here is Venezuela. Standing with our own independent model, we will be no one’s sovereign colony. We will never subordinate to anyone. We are proud Bolivarians, dignified, rebels.

With respect everything is possible. With respect we can move forward towards a different stage of relationships. I say like your Palestinian ancestors would say, tear it down. I hope the way is found for a process of respect, for equal treatment, and of understanding between the United States of America and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. Today a step has been taken. I hope we can continue on that path.

Welcome Alex, we can you give greetings from all our people and your family. Welcome.