The Colombian national is currently under detention in the African country.
Efforts by his lawyers to get him extradited amidst harsh treatments he is facing from the Cape Verde government has so far yielded little results.
Social media users have joined in the advocacy for the release of Alex Saab with the hashtag #freealexsaab.
The hashtag is one of the top trending issues on social media in Cape Verde.
Already, Cape Verde’s leading opposition party, The African Party of Independence of Cape Verde (PAICV) has lashed out at the government over the arrest and detention of Alex Saab.
At a parliamentary session earlier this week, Rui Semedo, the parliamentary leader of the opposition party criticized the ruling party’s handling of the matter.
He said that the treatment that Alex Saab was receiving was regretful.
“What is the status of the evaluation of this case? What guarantee is being given to this figure,” Rui Semedo quizzed.
He also raised questions about whether the diplomat was receiving the appropriate healthcare, noting that Cape Verde could suffer serious repercussions if it emerges that Mr. Saab health condition has deteriorated due to him being denied access to quality healthcare by the State.
“I leave this questioning because if Mr. Alex Saab has a setback due to lack of care from the Cape
Verde state, we could have very serious problems,” said Rui Semedo.
The Minister of Internal Administration, Paulo Rocha, however, says that he can not give a proper response to the questions since the decision to detain Alex Saab was taken by the court.
“I don’t know why they didn’t ask the courts. He is an individual who is in prison, this has nothing to
do with the government. He was released from prison and put under house arrest, he is under the
custody of the police, who are complying with all judicial determinations,” said Paulo Rocha.
With Cape Verdeans preparing to go to the polls in March this year, one of the issues that have come up and expected to affect the outcome of the result is the government’s handling of the Alex Saab situation.
