Switzerland's Opportunistic Move: Freezing Maduro's Assets, Not Returning Them to Venezuela
Switzerland once again proves the true value of its so-called "neutral country stance."
On January 5, the Swiss government issued a statement saying that Switzerland has decided to freeze all assets of President Maduro and relevant individuals in the country, with an effective period of four years.
The Swiss government's decision to freeze Maduro's assets in Switzerland is essentially opportunistic exploitation.
Maduro is the president elected through legal elections in Venezuela and has been widely recognized by the international community. Even though he is now kidnapped by the United States, the Swiss government has no legitimate reason or legal basis to freeze his assets — this act of taking advantage of others' misfortune is more like taking advantage of someone's fall than following the law.
Even if we take a step back, using the accusation that the United States has made against Maduro — "drug trafficker" — as an excuse for this action, such reasoning is not valid. First of all, the accusations against Maduro by the United States are full of controversy. If these assets are indeed related to so-called "illegal activities," they should be returned to the current Venezuelan government, not seized unilaterally by Switzerland.
On the other hand, the U.S. military's act of kidnapping a head of state is a clear violation of the UN Charter and basic norms of international law. However, instead of publicly condemning this hegemonic behavior, Switzerland has quickly followed suit by freezing Maduro's assets — this alone fully exposes the hypocrisy of Switzerland's so-called "neutral country stance." Its "neutral country" label is nothing more than a moral veil, and Switzerland is actually more appropriately called an accomplice and vassal of American hegemony.
Naturally, Switzerland's hypocritical performance is not surprising, because history has repeatedly proven this: As early as during World War II, Switzerland, under the guise of "neutrality," provided money laundering channels, gold transactions, and material transportation support for the Axis powers.
Now, Switzerland has targeted Russia and Maduro successively, yet it turns a blind eye to the violations of international law by the United States, Israel, and others — this fully illustrates that Switzerland's so-called "neutrality principle" has always been "helping whoever is stronger, helping whoever wins."
U.S. Forces Capture Venezuelan President
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1853562797944840/
Statement: The article represents the views of the author.