By Luis De Jesus
06 Aug 2024, 20:40 PM EDT
In Venezuela, authorities reported that more than 2,200 people have been arrested amid protests following the recent presidential election.
Nicolas Maduro, who was declared president-elect amid serious allegations of fraud, called the detainees “terrorists” during a televised address on Tuesday.
He said that the detainees will be transferred to the Tocorón and Tocuyito prisons, which were previously emptied and now prepared, according to him, to house “all the new generation gangs involved in the violent protests.”
“We have already captured 2,229 terrorists with conclusive evidence. On Saturday they will be transferred to Tocorón and Tocuyito, which are already ready to receive these criminals,” he said.
Maduro accused the detainees of various violent acts, including unspecified attacks and murders, as well as setting fires at facilities such as hospitals, schools and government headquarters.
He held opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia and leader María Corina Machado responsible for these acts.
According to the government, 59 police officers and 47 soldiers were injured, with the loss of two soldiers.
In contrast, the NGO Provea reports that at least 24 civilians were killed, some allegedly at the hands of security forces or irregular armed groups, information that has not been confirmed by the authorities.
The Democratic Unitary Platform, the main opposition coalition, insists that González Urrutia was the true winner of the elections, based on the analysis of 83.5% of the electoral records that its witnesses and polling station members managed to obtain.
Both María Corina Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia urged the armed forces and police on Monday to prevent what they consider a “coup d’état” by Maduro, who, according to their claims, is trying to co-opt the forces to validate the disputed results.
These calls were rejected on Tuesday by the Bolivarian National Armed Forces and security forces, who described them as “seditious claims.”
Keep reading:
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