By ILOILO CITY — BAYAN Panay condemned the recent bombardment and attacks carried out by the United States against Venezuela, including the reported abduction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, calling these acts a grave violation of international law and national sovereignty.
“These acts of war, together with years of crippling economic sanctions and political interference, constitute a direct assault on the Venezuelan people’s right to self-determination,” BAYAN Panay said.
The group criticized Western governments and US allies for what it described as blatant double standards in applying international law.
“When Russia took military action against Ukraine, leaders from the Global North were swift to condemn and demand sanctions. When the United States does the same, these governments suddenly turn silent or hide behind calls for ‘investigation,’” BAYAN Panay said. “This hypocrisy exposes the political selectivity of their so-called commitment to international law.”
BAYAN Panay said the attacks on Venezuela are part of a long-standing US regime-change campaign aimed at controlling the country’s vast oil resources.
“This has been openly admitted by US officials themselves, including President Donald Trump, who framed US hostility toward Venezuela around oil interests,” the group said.
The organization also denounced US unilateral sanctions, which it said deliberately plunged Venezuela into an economic and humanitarian crisis by blocking access to financial systems, fuel, food, and medicines.
“These sanctions amount to collective punishment against an entire people and are clear violations of the UN Charter and the principles of state sovereignty and self-determination,” BAYAN Panay said.
Linking the situation to broader global patterns, BAYAN Panay said US imperialist aggression is evident worldwide.
“From the US-backed genocide of the Palestinian people, to wars and bombardments in the Middle East, to military intervention and repression in the Philippines, the same pattern of domination and violence persists,” the group said.
In the Philippines, BAYAN Panay noted that US intervention has fueled militarization, attacks against activists and environmental defenders, and repression of Indigenous peoples and communities resisting land-grabbing and foreign-driven projects.
BAYAN Panay expressed full solidarity with the Venezuelan people and reaffirmed their right to determine their own future without foreign coercion.
The group called for the immediate cessation of US military aggression against Venezuela, the lifting of all US sanctions, and an end to US intervention and regime-change operations in Venezuela, Latin America, and other parts of the world.
“Venezuela’s sovereignty is non-negotiable. Its people alone have the right to decide their future,” BAYAN Panay said.
“Hands off Venezuela. Stop US imperialist aggression. Long live international solidarity.”
