Venezuelan authorities have issued an arrest warrant for opposition candidate Edmundo Gonzalez amid a crackdown on the country’s opposition movement following July’s disputed election.
US media outlets reported late Monday that the warrant was issued against Gonzalez, whom the US recognized as the winner of the presidential election, but the Venezuelan National Electoral Council declared that President Nicolas Maduro President of Venezuela secured another term.
In a letter posted on X, the Prosecutor’s Office said Gonzalez was suspected of “crimes associated with terrorism” including “usurpation of functions, forging a public document, instigation to disobedience of the laws (and) association to commit a crime and conspiracy.” The US recognized the opposition candidate as the rightful winner of the election last month, citing “overwhelming evidence” in his favor, according to a statement from Secretary of State Antony Blinken.
The US administration described Maduro’s threats to arrest opposition figures,
including Edmundo Gonzalez and opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, as an undemocratic attempt to stifle political participation and maintain power.
Protests have erupted in Venezuela against the declaration of Maduro’s victory who has been in power since the passing of former President Hugo Chavez in 2013.
Source: Kuwait News Agency