Two new opponents of Nicolas Maduro arrested, social network X suspended… In Venezuela, the opposition denounces an “escalation of repression”

On Thursday, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico again asked Caracas to make public the records attesting to the president’s disputed victory.

After the arrest of two new opponents of President Nicolas Maduro, the opposition denounces a “escalation of repression”. Former MPs Américo De Grazia and Williams Davila were arrested on Thursday, August 8, in Venezuela. “After more than 24 hours without knowing where he was (…) we learned that he is being held at the Hélicoïde”, intelligence headquarters, Américo De Grazia’s daughter, Maria De Grazia, said on Instagram. “We don’t know what he is accused of, they don’t have an arrest warrant against my father, we don’t have [reçu] “There is no sign of life, we do not know in what conditions he is being held”she continued.

Williams Davila was arrested during a rally in support of the “political prisoners” organized in a square in the capital Caracas, announced the Democratic United Platform (PUD).

At the very end of July and the beginning of August, the opposition also denounced the arrests of Freddy Superlano and then Roland Carreno, two leaders of Volonté populaire (VP).

“This escalation of repression and persecution must stop and we are alerting the world,” denounced the Venezuelan opposition coalition on X, just before Nicolas Maduro announced the suspension of the social network. The platform, made inaccessible across the country in the evening, will remain inaccessible for 10 days, while the contested president accuses social networks to be at the origin of a “criminal cyberfascist coup” in the wake of his contested election.

After the re-election of Nicolas Maduro, proclaimed president for a third term by the National Electoral Council, with 52% of the votes, the opposition assures that it is its candidate, Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who won, based on the minutes of the different polling stations, obtained thanks to its scrutineers.‘legally mandated body to transparently disclose the election results, The National Electoral Council (CNE) refuses, declaring that it was the victim of computer hacking.

On Thursday, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico, three South American countries led by the left, once again asked Caracas to make these minutes public. “There is international hysteria about the minutes”replied Vice President Delcy Rodriguez, before an audience of diplomats. “Excuse me, Mr. French Ambassador, but the minutes have even overshadowed the Olympic Games.”she said ironically.