US issues serious ‘do not travel’ warning for Caribbean country

The United States has renewed its ‘Do Not Travel’ warning for Venezuela, saying citizens visiting the Caribbean country should understand that their government is “unable to provide emergency services to US citizens” in distress, it said Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced.

The travel advisory, the strictest the agency can issue, was the result of “crime, civil unrest, kidnapping and the arbitrary enforcement of local laws,” officials said.

“Violent crimes, such as murder, armed robbery, kidnapping and carjacking, are common in Venezuela,” the agency added.

Officials claimed the threat was so dire that any travelers who insist on visiting Venezuela must first establish “a ‘proof of life’ protocol with your loved ones so that if you are taken hostage, your loved ones know specific questions (and answers) ask the hostage takers to make sure you are alive (and to rule out a hoax).”

“The Department has determined that there is a high risk of unlawful detention of U.S. citizens in Venezuela. Security forces have detained American citizens for up to five years,” the agency added. “The U.S. government is generally not notified of the detention of U.S. citizens in Venezuela and access is not granted to detainees of U.S. citizens there.”

Hundreds of thousands of Americans are expected to visit Venezuela every year ahead of the presidential election, a country known for its largely undeveloped coastline and islands. Nicolas Maduro came to power after the death of Hugo Chavez in 2013. The US State Department claims that Maduro has “illegally claimed the presidency of Venezuela despite global condemnation of rigged elections” and plans to turn the country into a dictatorship.