Venezuelan socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro ordered the arrest of presidential opponent Edmundo González on Monday as the country looks to quell dissent over the results of its recent election that Maduro claims without evidence that he won.
Venezuelan prosecutors sought an arrest warrant for Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia on Monday for claiming that Maduro stole the election.
Maduro asked for the arrest of Gonzalez Urrutia, a retired diplomat who went into hiding shortly after the election.
Prosecutors have charged him with “‘usurpation’ of public functions, ‘forgery’ of a public document, incitement to disobedience, sabotage, and ‘association’ with organized crime and financiers of ‘terrorism,'” according to the AFP.
A Venezuelan court authorized the arrest warrant on Monday evening.
The U.S., European Union, and multiple Latin American countries have not recognized the results of the recent election, casting doubts on its legitimacy as there is no proof that Maduro won. To the contrary, data published by the opposition indicates that Maduro may have lost by a significant margin.
Maduro’s government has killed dozens of people who have protested the results of the election in an attempt to silence dissent.
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado said that the arrest warrant proves “Maduro has lost all touch with reality.”
“The arrest warrant issued by the regime to threaten President-Elect Edmundo Gonzalez crosses a new line that only strengthens the resolve of our movement,” she said. “Venezuelans and democracies around the world are more united than ever in our quest for freedom.”
Maduro has lost all touch with reality.
The arrest warrant issued by the regime to threaten President-Elect Edmundo Gonzalez crosses a new line that only strengthens the resolve of our movement.
Venezuelans and democracies around the world are more united than ever in our… pic.twitter.com/QxwAuDmZwn
— María Corina Machado (@MariaCorinaYA) September 2, 2024
