Venezuela: Arrest Warrant for Opposition Candidate Gonzalez
The 75-year-old former diplomat is accused of sabotage and terrorist collaboration, among other things
Edmundo González Urrutia, the opposition candidate in Venezuela’s July 28 election that ended in a disputed victory for Nicolas Maduro, is charged with “usurpation of state functions, falsification of official documents, criminal association, sabotage, and terrorist conspiracy.”
Venezuela has been rocked by street protests since the election, which Reuters reports have led to 27 deaths and more than 2400 arrests.
On September 2, Venezuelan prosecutors requested the arrest of González Urrutia, who failed to respond to three subpoenas for him to explain some material published on the website of the opposition United Platform coalition that referred to the 75-year-old former diplomat as the real winner of the election. About 80 percent of the e-voting system ballots were uploaded to the website, according to which 67 percent of the votes went to the opposition candidate. The investigation by the Venezuelan prosecutor’s office also concerns opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, already recognized as ineligible in Venezuela, a fact that led to Gonzalez’s candidacy.
The former ambassador lives in a secret location and has not appeared in public since July 30. He explained his absence after the summons by saying that he was afraid of the judiciary, which offers no guarantees of independence.
