Venezuelan Protesters Call for Help from Brazilian President
Caracas, Venezuela – Hundreds of Venezuelans marched to the Brazilian embassy in Caracas on Wednesday, calling on President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to help secure the freedom of over 2,500 "political prisoners". The protesters, carrying signs and chanting slogans, delivered a letter to the embassy, urging Lula to intervene in the post-election crisis.
The demonstration marks a rare protest since the July 28 presidential election, which the opposition claims was stolen by incumbent President Nicolas Maduro. The protesters claim that 2,400 of the 2,500 political prisoners arrested in the aftermath of the election were minors. Human rights groups have condemned the regime’s treatment of detainees, saying they are subjected to "slow-motion assassination" for simply thinking differently.
The opposition has demanded a full breakdown of the voting results, but Venezuela has refused to release them. The international community has largely refused to accept Maduro’s claim to a third six-year term, and Brazil has joined several Latin American countries in criticizing the election.
Lula, a traditional ally of Maduro, has been heading efforts to find a peaceful exit from the crisis along with Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro. However, tensions between Brazil and Venezuela escalated last week after Venezuela revoked permission for Brazil to represent Argentina’s diplomatic interests in the country.
In an interview, Diego Casanova, whose family member is detained, said: "We are telling President Lula about the conditions in which our relatives are being held, all their human rights violated. They are all prisoners of conscience, none have committed a crime."
The protesters are demanding that Lula take a stronger stance against the regime and work towards releasing the political prisoners. With relations between Brazil and Venezuela strained, the fate of these prisoners remains uncertain.
