Opposition leader Guaido vows to push on as he faces threat of prosecution after Venezuela's Constituent Assembly strips his immunity
Members of the National Constituent Assembly attend a session in Caracas, Venezuela, April 2, 2019. Venezuelan lawmakers stripped opposition leader Juan Guaido's immunity and authorised the high court to criminally prosecute him for proclaiming himself the crisis-hit country's ruler.
"The people are determined and nothing is going to stop us," said a defiant Guaido in response. "There is no turning back in this process." "We must unite now more than ever," said Guaido at a Caracas university earlier Monday. "We must mount the biggest demonstration so far to reject what's happening."President Nicolas Maduro replaced his electricity minister on Monday in a move to address a series of blackouts plaguing the country.
There have not been any reports of injuries. Guaido continued to urge Venezuelans to take to the streets until President Nicolas Maduro steps down.Turkey’s foreign minister Mevlut Cavusoglu on Monday reiterated support for Venezuela and its elected leadership. The government also announced that it is reducing the length of the workday and keeping schools closed.
Venezuela has been hit by three major power outages this month, and opposition leader Juan Guaido had called on supporters to take to the streets to demonstrate.Caracas and other major Venezuelan cities were hit by a new electricity blackout, as they were barely recovering from another outage that had paralysed the country for days.
Tareck Al Aisssami, Venezuela's Minister of Industry and National Production said receiving the shipment was "an exercise of sovereignty, independence, of dignity." "One of the things they are doing seems to be, and we have thought this from the very beginning, helping the regime with the S-300 ground-to-air missile system which apparently got all screwed up... by the blackout," Abrams told reporters.
The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the United States was still assessing the Russian deployment, which Washington has called a "reckless escalation" of the situation in Venezuela.The presence of "Russian specialists" in Venezuela is governed by a military-technical cooperation agreement between the two countries that was signed in 2001, Russia's foreign ministry said.
Guaido, recognised as Venezuela's interim president by the US and many of its allies, countered on Twitter that Maduro's government "uses these moments to disinform and create anxiety."A widespread new power outage struck Caracas and several well-populated states on Monday, nearly two weeks after Venezuela was rocked by its worst blackout ever.
A flight-tracking website showed that two planes left from a Russian military airport bound for Caracas on Friday, and another flight-tracking site showed that one plane left Caracas on Sunday. A flight-tracking website showed that two planes left from a Russian military airport bound for Caracas on Friday, and another flight-tracking site showed that one plane left Caracas on Sunday.
The cargo plane left Caracas on Sunday afternoon, according to Adsbexchange, another flight-tracking site. Maduro's government gave details of the alleged plot on state television, with Information Minister Jorge Rodriguez saying "hitmen" from El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras had been recruited "using big sums of money" and sent to Colombia ahead of missions into Venezuela to carry out "targeted assassinations" and "sabotage."
The United States has repeatedly warned Maduro's government against arrest ing Guaido or his close aides, saying it would face unspecified repercussions.Venezuelan opposition legislator Sergio Vergara said on Thursday he had not been arrested by intelligence agents who raided his house before dawn. But more recent sanctions hitting the state-run oil company PDVSA could "contribute to aggravating the economic crisis, with possible repercussions on people's basic rights and wellbeing," Bachelet said.
In a bid to force a change of leadership, the United States has imposed oil sanctions on Venezuela as well as sanctions on individuals associated with the government of Maduro, who charges that he is the target of a US coup plot. The envoy, Carlos Vecchio, said the opposition had gained control of two buildings belonging to Venezuela's defence ministry in Washington and one consular building in New York. He added that the group expects to take control of Venezuela's embassy in Washington "in the days to come."
"We will get very well organised in the operation freedom, in the operation for the definitive end of usurpation in Venezuela," said US-backed Guaido from a podium draped with a large Venezuelan flag. The airline said it temporarily stopped the flights and won't operate to countries it doesn't consider safe.
"They are fully dedicated to our mission of supporting the Venezuelan people's aspirations to live in a democracy and build a better future for their families." Communications Minister Jorge Rodriguez said in an address on state television Wednesday that Maduro decided the public sector would resume work on Thursday, although state schools would remain closed for an extra day.
Power had returned to many parts of Venezuela after a nationwide outage last week, with the country's main port terminal of Jose, which is crucial for the country's oil exports, resuming operations Demonstrators banged pots and sounded car horns at the protest in a square in the east of the capital. Many waved large banners calling on Maduro to go.Venezuelan officials reported blackouts easing in some areas Tuesday, while the chief prosecutor said opposition leader Guaido is being investigated for allegedly sabotaging the national power grid, whose collapse last week has inflicted misery on millions.
He also called for support from allies including Russia and China as well as the United Nations in investigating the US "cyber attack" he said was responsible for the blackout.Venezuela's Chief Prosecutor Tarek Saab said he has asked the Supreme Court to open an investigation into Guaido for alleged involvement in "sabotage" of the country's electrical system.
His comments came after the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on Russian bank Evrofinance Mosnarbank for helping Venezuelan state oil firm PDVSA evade US financial restrictions. He also said two people who were allegedly trying to sabotage power facilities were captured and were providing information to authorities, though he gave no details.
"The national electrical system has been subject to multiple cyberattacks," Maduro wrote on Twitter on Sunday. "However, we are making huge efforts to restore stable and definitive supply in the coming hours."The Venezuelan opposition and government loyalists held rival demonstrations in Caracas on Saturday, as both sides prepared for what some fear could be a protracted power struggle.
He said he planned to tour Venezuela to seek support and lay the groundwork for a massive rally in Caracas. “Between yesterday and today, there were 15 deaths for lack of dialysis,” said Francisco Valencia, director of the Codevida health rights group. Opposition demonstrators pushed against the shields of riot police, who withdrew from the area but maintained a large presence.
"They're planning to tire us out, but they no longer have a way of containing the people, who have decided to ensure the end of the usurpation," Guaido tweeted on Saturday. The blackout affected 15 of Venezuela's 23 states, as well as the capital. People crowded the streets of Caracas as the metro system shut down and buses quickly became overcrowded.
Pence told the Latino Coalition that the US will revoke 77 visas held by officials in the Maduro government or their relatives.Venezuela expels German ambassador for meddling, detains American journalist Addressing the National Assembly, Guaido said Maduro's government is the "persona non grata" in Venezuela.
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