A day after two Venezuelan students and a National Guard sergeant were shot dead during protests on Wednesday, opponents of the Venezuelan government vowed fresh protests in their bid to oust President Nicolas Maduro.
Security forces on Wednesday fired tear gas as anti-government demonstrators staged what they dubbed the "mother of all marches" against President Nicolas Maduro, accusing him of eroding democracy and plunging the economy into chaos.
In the statement, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru and Uruguay rejected the violence in Venezuela which led to the deaths of six people during the recent demonstrations. At some of the protests, violent clashes between protesters and security forces were reported.
Two Dead, at least 57 Injured and over 400 Arrested The director of the Venezuelan Criminal Forum said the lawyers who advise the arrested are constantly updating and verifying the figures in the capital as well as in the 23 states of Venezuela, as too many cases had been registered in only one day.
Large anti-government protests were conducted in Venezuela yesterday as part of what is being called the "mother of all protests".
"We're convinced the country knows who the true coup mongers are and it's against them we will march", the opposition said in a Tuesday late-night statement.
The Florida Republican says the socialist administration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has again shown "its lack of regard for the rule-of-law and the most basic democratic norms".
According to Fox News/AP/EFE, Maduro is framing his gun giveaway as a means of fighting outside forces controlled by America seeking to remove him from office.
The opposition wants Maduro's removed, new elections and the release of political prisoners, including opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, who was jailed in early 2014.
The European Union is calling for an investigation into the deaths and other violence during anti-government demonstrations in Venezuela and for those responsible to be held accountable.
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"This is like a chess game and each side is moving whatever pieces they can", said Machuca, her face covered in a white, sticky substance to protect herself from the noxious effects of tear gas.
Muchaco said that the hospitals in his jurisdiction were taking care of 57 people "from the demonstration", who tried unsuccessfully to reach the Ombudsman's Office in the centre of the Venezuelan capital here.
Government officials dismiss the protests, characterized by street barricades and clashes with security forces, as violent and lawless efforts to overthrow Maduro's leftist government with the backing of ideological adversaries in Washington.
The opposition call became even stronger when, on April 7, the government notified main opposition leader Henrique Capriles that he had been banned from doing any political work for 15 years.
On Monday, 11 Latin American countries, including Brazil, Argentina and Mexico, called on Venezuela's government to respect the constitutional right to peaceful protest.
MARGARET WARNER: The oil-rich nation is also mired in an economic crisis, with skyrocketing, triple-digit inflation, rampant crime and food shortages.
"We have to protest because this country is dying of hunger said Alexis Mendoza, a 53-year-old administrator marching in the Caracas neighbourhood of El Paraiso". He said authorities had rounded up "conspirators". Not so, Mr. Maduro's government insisted, accusing bakeries of hoarding flour to destabilise his government and using it in expensive cakes and pastries rather than cheap, subsidised bread.
He says the protests echo those of 2002 that led to a brief coup against his predecessor and mentor, the late socialist leader Hugo Chavez.
On Wednesday afternoon Maduro addressed a cheering red-shirted crowd in Caracas to declare that a "corrupt and interventionist right-wing" had been defeated. The opposition is also trying to strengthen its momentum after its attempt previous year to oust Maduro with a recall referendum was quashed by election officials.
Supporters of the president are also rallying downtown, with state television showing images of trucks distributing water bottles on a hot day.
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