- Among the protesters were Venezuelan politicians Leopoldo López and Antonio Ledezma and relatives of political prisoners | Photo: EFE/Daniel González
Hundreds of Venezuelans protested on Wednesday, August 7, in Madrid, Spain, against Nicolás Maduro and the repression he has been carrying out since the elections of July 28. In addition, they asked the international community to stop asking for the electoral records and recognize the opposition candidate Edmundo González as the winner.
At a rally in Cibeles Square called by the opposition group Comando Con Vzla, hundreds of people demanded an end to violence against the population. They also vindicated the figure of opposition leader María Corina Machado and assured that the Venezuelan people have already “done their job” and now it is up to the international community to do theirs and recognize González as president-elect.
This was the opinion of former Caracas Mayor Antonio Ledezma, who insisted that the “international community has the final say” after Venezuelans “fulfilled their duty” by going to the polls and, he said, electing González.
“Stop asking for the minutes, ask Maduro to lay down his arms, admit defeat, reverse his proclamation (as president) and proclaim Edmundo González” in his place, he said in an interview with the EFE news agency.
Ledezma, who is exiled in Spain, also asked that the country carry out “a transition without trauma or difficulties” and declined the option of holding new elections because “the Venezuelan people have already voted.”
Leopoldo López encourages us to continue fighting for freedom
At the event, which concluded with the illumination of the façade of the Cibeles Palace, the seat of Madrid City Hall, in the colours of the Venezuelan flag while the national anthem was playing, Leopoldo López also spoke, encouraging people to continue fighting for the freedom of Venezuela.
“Right now, the fight is to keep our courage,” said López, who spent four years in prison in Venezuela, and who today agreed with Ledezma that the international community must go a step further and recognize González as president-elect.
Lopez also denounced that thousands of people have been arrested and dozens have been killed for protesting against Maduro.
“We are optimistic because the will of the Venezuelan people was presented in a forceful manner. It is the vast majority who want change. We know that we are in a dictatorship, we know that the elections were neither free nor fair, and now we are in the phase of collecting the money for the election,” López shared.
The demonstration was also attended by several relatives of Venezuelan political prisoners who warned of the situation of their relatives, asked for help for their release and assured that they will not stop their protests until they are released from prisons “and torture centers.”
The country’s National Electoral Council has not published the minutes certifying Maduro’s victory, as required by law. Meanwhile, the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) released 83.5% of these documents, which show, according to the opposition, that González Urrutia won by a wide margin.
Provea reports 24 deaths during protests
According to the NGO Provea, at least 24 people have died in Venezuela in protests against the official result. Meanwhile, Maduro’s government claims that more than 2,200 people have been arrested since the elections.
The government’s arrest figures contrast with those of the Penal Forum, which counts 1,152, among which are 101 adolescents. The arrests took place in 22 states and the Capital District.
The Foro Penal report states that each of the detainees has been verified and identified. However, the names of those affected have not been made public. The organization’s lawyers have been deployed in the main detention centers in each state to provide legal assistance.
The organization has not revealed the ages of the detained adolescents either. However, the Criminal Responsibility System contemplated in the Law for the Protection of Boys, Girls and Adolescents (Lopnna) stipulates that the age of criminal responsibility for adolescents begins at 14 years of age.
With information from EFE
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2024-08-08 19:15:56
