Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN)
IPAN Patrons: Emeritus Professor Ian Lowe AO & Kellie Tranter Lawyer, Human Rights Activist
MEDIA RELEASE 5 January 2026
The Independent and Peaceful Australia Network (IPAN) calls on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to unequivocally condemn the illegal invasion of Venezuela by the United States, which culminated in the extra-judicial kidnapping of the nation’s democratically elected President, Nicolás Maduro, and his wife and top adviser, Cilia Flores.
‘This act of aggression constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and the sovereignty of a peaceful nation’, said IPAN spokesperson, Ms Kathryn Kelly.
The international community is already voicing its opposition. Colombian President Gustavo Petro has alerted the world to the attack on Venezuela, and the Spanish Foreign Ministry has called for de-escalation and adherence to international law.
‘Australia must add its voice to this growing chorus of condemnation’, Ms Kelly said.
The justification for the invasion, that Venezuela is a major source of illegal drugs entering the US, specifically fentanyl, does not stack up against the evidence. In fact, less than 1% of the illegal drug supply into the US originates from Venezuela.[i]
‘The indictment of President Maduro and his family on these unsubstantiated charges appears to be a thinly veiled pretext for seizing control of Venezuela’s vast oil reserves, the largest in the world’, said Ms Kelly.
‘There is no basis under international law for the US to have invaded Venezuela and abducted its president. This action sets a terrible precedent, risking a more dangerous world where powerful countries may see illegal military action as an acceptable way to get what they want’, continued Ms Kelly.
‘Such behaviour continues a disturbing pattern of US foreign policy that undermines the very foundations of the United Nations (UN), an organisation established to foster global security through dialogue and diplomacy.’
‘When governments permitted US-backed Israel to illegally and brutally decimate Gaza, they effectively authorised the precedent now being applied to Venezuela’, said Ms Kelly, and as one commentator has noted, ‘Law becomes costume, sovereignty becomes conditional, and power stops pretending it needs permission.’[ii]
‘These behaviours by the US do not reflect Australia values and this latest action highlights the folly of our alliance with the US, which ties our nation so closely to a bullying power who ignores international law’.
‘Australia needs to assert its independence, break free from the US and reaffirm our commitment to international law and the UN Charter’, said Ms Kelly.
‘Australia’s history of supporting US military interventions and regime change must end. The values demonstrated by the US in such interventions are not Australia’s values, and the latest action highlights the folly of tying our nation so closely to a bullying power who disregards international law’, said Ms Kelly.
‘If Australia fails to stand up for the rule of law now, it will effectively be writing a blank cheque for future US aggression, which could include an attack on China, conflict into which Australia would be disastrously drawn.’
‘The world faces grave challenges where global temperatures are rising, threatening run-away climate change outcomes of famine, rising sea levels, catastrophic storms, and displacement of millions of people.’
‘At such a time we must observe international law, cooperate and unify for future generations to survive.’
‘Now is the time for Australia to stand on its own two feet and stand up for what is right’, said Ms Kelly.
ENDS
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Media Interviews: Ms Kathryn Kelly 0417 269 984
Media Liaison: Jonathan Pilbrow 0403 611 815
Bio: Kathryn Kelly is currently the Public Officer for IPAN, and previously a long-term member of the IPAN National Coordinating Committee. Kathryn is also a founding member of the Australian Peace and Security Forum (APSF) and was a founding convenor of the Alliance Against Political Prosecutions. Kathryn was previously a registered nurse and also a federal public servant.
[i] Analysis from the UNOffice of Drugs and Crime reveals no fentanyl production in the country, and even the US Government’s own Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) does not identify Venezuela as a major drug trafficking source.
[ii] Yanis Varoufakis’s, in an article published on Countercurrents.org on January 4, 2026.
