WASHINGTON – New claims have emerged alleging that Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado was prevented from traveling through Curaçao last month while attempting to return to Venezuela following the devastating earthquake that struck the country.
According to the account, Machado was scheduled to travel aboard a private U.S. aircraft that would make a stop in Curaçao before continuing to Venezuela. The alleged incident is said to have occurred on June 24.
The claims state that the Dutch Ambassador to the United States, Birgitta Tazelaar, withdrew permission for the aircraft to land in Curaçao after it had already departed for the island. As a result, the pilot was reportedly instructed to return to the United States before reaching Curaçao.
Ambassador Tazelaar
The account further alleges that, one day earlier, discussions had taken place involving Curaçao's acting Minister Plenipotentiary in Washington and that agreement had initially been reached for Machado to transit through Curaçao. According to the claims, the stopover was intended to allow her to complete the necessary travel documentation before continuing to Venezuela because she allegedly did not possess the required travel documents or a valid passport.
It is also alleged that Machado unsuccessfully attempted to contact U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio after learning of the decision. The report further claims that an alternative plan to travel through Panama was later rejected by U.S. authorities.
According to the account, Machado's objective was to return to Venezuela to support communities affected by the recent earthquake.
However, none of these allegations have been independently verified. No official statements confirming the reported sequence of events have been issued by the Government of Curaçao, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Dutch Embassy in Washington, the U.S. Department of State, or María Corina Machado.
The report concludes by suggesting that questions remain about who, if anyone, instructed the Dutch ambassador to block the proposed transit through Curaçao. As of now, there has been no official confirmation of those claims, and the circumstances surrounding the reported travel attempt remain unclear.