The US government considered on Sunday that the departure from Venezuela of the standard-bearer of the largest opposition coalition in that country, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutiais a consequence of the “anti-democratic” measures of the regime Nicolas Maduro.
“His departure from Venezuela is the direct result of the anti-democratic measures that Nicolás Maduro has launched since the elections against the Venezuelan people, including against González Urrutia and other opposition leaders,” the Secretary of State said in a statement. Anthony Blinken.
The opposition leader, present in Spain, remains according to him “an indisputable voice for peace and democratic change in Venezuela”, and the United States supports him in his call to continue “the fight for freedom and the restoration of democracy”.
The anti-Chavist requested asylum, claiming that he was suffering political persecution in Venezuela. and judicial after the presidential election of July 28, whose official victory was attributed by the National Electoral Council (CNE) to Maduro.
This result was later validated by the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), but the opposition insists that the winner was González Urrutia and supports this claim in “83.5%” of the electoral records that it claims to have collected through witnesses and deputies on the day of the vote.
Blinken noted that Venezuelans expressed on July 28 “their overwhelming and unequivocal desire for democratic change.” and added that “the electoral results and the will of the people cannot simply be ignored by Maduro and the Venezuelan electoral authorities.”
The United States, he said, “strongly condemns Maduro’s decision to resort to repression and intimidation to cling to power through brute force rather than acknowledge his electoral defeat.”
“Over the past six weeks, Maduro unjustly arrested nearly 2,000 Venezuelansused censorship and threats to silence opposition to his government and violated Venezuelan laws to remain in power against the will of the Venezuelan people.
Blinken therefore reiterated his country’s demand “to end the repression and immediately release all those unjustly detained.”and said his government will continue to work with international partners to defend democratic freedoms in Venezuela and ensure that Maduro and his representatives are held accountable for their actions.
