Press. voanews.com
Venezuela's opposition sought to keep pressure on President Nicolas
Maduro with scattered protests on Monday, but there was relief for the
socialist government when the Organization of American States delayed a debate
on the crisis. One group of protesters tried to block a major Caracas highway
and another dropped a pile of straw in front of court offices to protest at the
judiciary's controversial takeover last week of the opposition-led congress'
responsibilities.
Though the top tribunal rowed back on that decision, which was condemned
globally and led to unrest, the opposition is pushing to remove the judges
responsible. One opposition lawmaker, Juan Requesens of the Justice First party
who is often at the forefront of protests, suffered a gash in the head after
being hit by a stone during a fracas outside the public ombudsman's office,
witnesses said.
Protesters had taken live chickens there to symbolize cowardice, but
were confronted by government supporters. The OAS debate on Venezuela was
called at the weekend by 20 countries concerned about democratic erosion in
Venezuela under Maduro, who replaced socialist firebrand Hugo Chavez in 2013.
A spokesman first said it was canceled, but then the 34-nation block
began a session in the afternoon to discuss whether or not the Venezuela debate
would go ahead. in Washington, April 3, 2017, to consider the recent events in
Venezuela. The initial suspension, as Maduro's leftist ally Bolivia takes the
bloc's presidency, was a "win for Venezuela," one Latin American
diplomat told Reuters.
But some members were unhappy. Mexico's Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray
blamed Bolivia for the "unilateral" and "arbitrary" delay
of the debate over Venezuela. Opponents wants to bring forward Venezuela's next
presidential election, slated for the end of 2018, to try to end Maduro's rule
which they say has become a dictatorship.
He alleges a U.S.-led coup plot against his government.
One opposition party, COPEI, said two of its members were arrested on
Sunday and Monday, the latest to be held in frequent detentions of anti-Maduro
activists in Venezuela. Rights groups say that more than 100 political leaders
and activists are in jail, mostly on trumped-up charges. Officials say all are
imprisoned on legitimate criminal accusations.
Military intelligence agents picked up COPEI's Roberto Enriquez and
Eduardo Vetancourt and accused them of "rebellion" and
"treason," the party said. "This is a fresh attack on those who
think differently to the government," it said in a statement. Two military
officers have also been detained in recent days, a local rights group says.