Adel el Zabayar

Adel el Zabayar

Adel el Zabayar (born 1963) is a Venezuelan politician who served as a deputy of the National Assembly for the state of Bolívar for the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), from 2000 until 2014, when he moved to Syria.

Early life and background

Adel El Zabayar was born in 1963 in Venezuela to a family of Syrian origin. He has been active in political, cultural, and social organizations connected to the Arab diaspora in Venezuela. He has publicly identified with Arab and Syrian causes and has maintained close cultural and political ties with the Middle East.[1]

Political career

El Zabayar was elected as a deputy to the National Assembly of Venezuela representing Bolívar state and served from 2000 until 2015. He was a member of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and participated in parliamentary work related to national sovereignty, security, and media regulation.[2] During his legislative career, he was known for his strong support of the governments of Hugo Chávez and later Nicolás Maduro, as well as for his outspoken opposition to United States foreign policy toward Venezuela.[3][4]

Arab-Venezuelan community involvement

In addition to his political career, El Zabayar served as president of the Federación de Asociaciones y Entidades Árabes de Venezuela, an umbrella organization representing Arab cultural and social associations in the country. In this role, he promoted cultural exchange and publicly supported political positions aligned with Arab nationalist and pro-Palestinian causes.[5][6][7]

In 2013, El Zabayar traveled to Syria, stating that the trip was for personal and political reasons. He later publicly expressed support for the Syrian government led by Bashar al-Assad during the Syrian civil war. His presence in Syria and public statements received attention in Venezuelan and international media.[8]

United States criminal charges

See also: United States v. Maduro et al.

In May 2020, El Zabayar was indicted in the Southern District Court of New York on charges of "narco-terrorism, cocaine importation, and crimes related to the use and possession of machine guns and destructive devices". US authorities accused him of being part of the Cartel of the Suns, led by military officers and high-ranking officials of Nicolás Maduro, and of serving as an intermediary between the governments of both Maduro and Bashar al-Assad, as well as in the recruitment of members of Hezbollah and Hamas.[9][10][7]

Adel rejected the accusations, declaring them false and stating that "the great enemies" of Venezuela and Syria "had it in for him," and offered to travel to the United States to face US justice under the auspices of the United Nations, and prove the accusations false.[11]

See also

References

  1. ^ Gupta, Girish (2013-08-30). "Assad's Newest Ally: Venezuelan Congressman Goes to Syria to Fight Rebels, the U.S." Time. ISSN 0040-781X. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  2. ^ "Adel Samara - Poderopedia Venezuela". Poderopedia Venezuela (in European Spanish). Archived from the original on 2021-08-05. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  3. ^ en, Seguir (2017-11-20). "Chavista que combate en Siria asegura llevar el mensaje de Venezuela". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  4. ^ "US indicts ex-Venezuelan lawmaker linked with Maduro". www.ksl.com. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  5. ^ Espinoza, Laura (2015-05-17). "Árabes en Venezuela repudian visita del Emir de Catar a Caracas". Confirmado (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  6. ^ primicias24 (2020-05-25). "Federación de árabes de Venezuela agradece a Irán por envío de buques con gasolina Primicias24.com". Primicias24.com (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-01-12.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  7. ^ a b Nassar, Rania (2026-01-13). "مثلث الجريمة المنظمة: فنزويلا إيران "الحزب"". Lebanese Forces Official Website. Retrieved 2026-01-13.
  8. ^ "EEUU acusa a excongresista venezolano Adel El Zabayar de narcoterrorismo y negociar armas con Hezbollah y Hamas | Noticias Univision Política | Univision". www.univision.com (in Spanish). 2020-05-27. Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  9. ^ en, Seguir (2020-05-27). "Estados Unidos acusó de narcoterrorismo a Adel El Zabayar, ex diputado venezolano y miembro del Cártel de los Soles". infobae (in European Spanish). Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  10. ^ Parisi, Kiarinna (2020-05-28). "Departamento de Justicia de Estados Unidos acusa por narcoterrorismo a exdiputado venezolano Adel El Zabayar". CNN (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-01-12.
  11. ^ Nacional, El (2020-05-28). "La reacción del exdiputado chavista Adel el Zabayar al conocer que EE UU lo acusó por narcoterrorismo". EL NACIONAL (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-01-12.
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