Venezuelan president blames opponent for post-election violence
Up to 749 people have been arrested for participating in violent riots following Sunday’s presidential election, Attorney General Tarek William Saab said Tuesday.
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“I hold you responsible, Mr. Gonzalez Urrutia, for everything that is happening in Venezuela, for the criminal violence, for the criminals, for the injured, for the dead, for the destruction,” the president said in a message broadcast to the nation during a joint meeting of the Council of State and the Defense Council.
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Maduro said Monday night that protesters would be “severely” prosecuted after thousands of Venezuelans took to the streets of Caracas decrying what they say is a fraudulent win. At least one person died and 46 were arrested during the demonstrations, according to Foro Penal, a nonprofit network of lawyers who provide legal assistance to political prisoners in the country.
Earlier Monday, Public Prosecutor Tarek William Saab accused opposition leader María Corina Machado of conspiring with Leopoldo López and another member of his party in an alleged plot to prevent voting records from reaching the electoral council’s headquarters.
Venezuela: Gov’t, Hardline Opposition Call for Mobilizations in Tense Election Aftermath
Social media users reported on mobilizations in a number of Venezuelan cities as well. A mob in the Lara state town of Jiménez set the local city hall on fire on Monday evening. There were unconfirmed reports of three people dead and more than forty wounded. For his part, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino spoke of 23 wounded servicemen and called on the Venezuelan people to remain calm.
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“There have been dozens of arrests,” he said. “More than 80 percent of those detained had criminal records, many of them had recently returned to the country.” The Venezuelan president dismissed the idea that the demonstrations were spontaneous and pointed the finger at far-right Vente Venezuela [Atlas Network, National Democratic Institute], the organization led by María Corina Machado.
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On Monday afternoon, the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry announced it was withdrawing its diplomatic personnel from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru and the Dominican Republic, pointing at “statements and actions meddling in internal Venezuelan affairs.” The statement additionally accused the seven governments of being “subordinated to Washington.”
Readout of President Joe Biden’s Call with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil
President Joe Biden spoke today with President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil to discuss a range of bilateral and regional issues, including the emerging political situation in Venezuela following the July 28 presidential election. President Biden thanked President Lula for his leadership on Venezuela. The two leaders agreed on the need for immediate release of full, transparent, and detailed voting data at the polling station level by the Venezuelan electoral authorities. The two leaders shared the perspective that the Venezuelan election outcome represents a critical moment for democracy in the hemisphere, and they pledged to remain in close coordination on the issue.
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“We know this plan, and the most recent scenario is indeed the one I just mentioned, a scenario of lies, of fraud…” he said, adding that the situation involving Juan Guaidó involved the theft of Venezuelan assets abroad and that this sector of the opposition deceived the world. “They stole with both hands. This group has turned the conspiracy in Venezuela into a big business to become multimillionaires: Leopoldo López, Julio Borges, Juan Guaidó, Antonio Ledezma… They are all multimillionaires at the expense of the suffering of a people, at the expense of the permanent conspiracy, at the expense of sowing hatred in the hearts of Venezuelans who have believed their lies.”
Social media hate and fake news
Maduro condemned fascists for using social media platforms to spread hatred in Venezuela, aiming to divide the country. He suggested that the National Assembly soon initiate a discussion to regulate social media platforms.
Meanwhile, dozens of fake videos, videos taken out of context, old videos showing violence, and videos unrelated to Venezuela have been spread on social media to create a trend of an alleged revolt in the country.
On this issue, President Maduro pointed toward Elon Musk, who has recently posted a series of messages directly interfering in Venezuelan elections and calling President Maduro a “dictator.” Specifically, President Maduro referred to a post where Musk attached an old video showing a robbery of washing machines, claiming that it was about the theft of ballot boxes in a Venezuelan voting center. The falsity of the post was so evident that X itself had to make a note correcting Musk. The post was then deleted.
However, Musk continued to post videos of alleged protests that are, in reality, guarimbas organized in 2017 or previous years. In a clear display of recklessness, the billionaire has dedicated the last two days to spreading fake news about Venezuela.
After greeting the diplomatic corps accredited in Venezuela and over 900 international electoral observers, Maduro condemned the mainstream media and social media platforms controlled by the US empire for invisibilizing the election’s observers, who witnessed Sunday’s presidential election first-hand.
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World leaders congratulate Maduro
Meanwhile, leaders of several countries, including China, Russia, Iran, Cuba, Honduras, Nicaragua, Belarus, and Bolivia, among others, congratulated President Maduro.
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