Opposition leader Biagio Pilieri was arrested in Caracas after protest, anti-Chavez supporters denounce

Caracas, Aug 28 (EFE).- Venezuelan opposition members on Wednesday denounced the arrest of the national coordinator of the Convergencia party, Biagio Pilieri, after participating in a demonstration in Caracas in rejection of the Supreme Court’s ruling that upheld President Nicolás Maduro’s controversial victory in the presidential election.

“We denounce the kidnapping of Biagio Pilieri, coordinator of Convergencia and member of the Command with Venezuela, along with his son Jesús Pilieri,” who was also arrested, wrote the Human Rights Committee of the Vente Venezuela (VV) party, a formation led by opposition leader María Corina Machado, on the social network X.

The Comando con Venezuela (Command with Venezuela) – the campaign team of the candidate of the majority opposition coalition, Edmundo González Urrutia – published videos in which two vehicles and three motorcycles were allegedly chasing Pilieri, as well as the leader Juan Pablo Guanipa, who according to his press team, “managed to evade the chase” and is in custody.

He also said that, according to the last location of his phone, Pilieri was arrested and transferred to the headquarters of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Sebin), in Caracas, known as Helicoide.

“We denounce Nicolás Maduro and his regime for whatever may happen to them,” he added.

On Tuesday, Machado denounced the arrest of lawyer Perkins Rocha, legal adviser to the main opposition coalition, the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD), which she also accused of being the “regime of (President) Nicolás Maduro.”

The Vente Venezuela Human Rights Committee said that “unidentified individuals forcibly took” Rocha, who was also a witness for the opposition bloc before the National Electoral Council (CNE) in the July 28 presidential elections.

The PUD demanded information on the whereabouts of the legal advisor, while the parties that form part of this bloc, including Primero Justicia, Voluntad Popular, La Causa R and Encuentro Ciudadano, condemned Rocha’s arrest.

According to official figures, more than 2,400 people have been arrested since July 29 – some in demonstrations and others in police operations – while 25 people were killed in acts of violence that the government attributes to the opposition, while anti-Chavez supporters blame the state security forces, on orders from their superiors.

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