- Title: ARGENTINA: Venezuelan expats take to Buenos Aires' streets against Maduro
- Date: 22nd February 2014
- Summary: BUENOS AIRES, ARGENTINA (FEBRUARY 22, 2014) (REUTERS) GENERAL VIEW OF VENEZUELAN PROTESTERS AT UNIVERSITY VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS WRITING ON PLACARD PROTESTER WITH VENEZUELAN FLAG LETTERS "SOS" ON STEPS PLACARD THAT READS "WE'RE FAR BUT NOT SCARED" PLACARD THAT READS "PEOPLE OF THE WORLD, NO MORE SILENCE. WE NEED HELP" PROTEST WITH LARGE VENEZUELAN FLAG (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) MEMBER OF UNITED FOR VENEZUELAN GROUP, RICHARD MOLINA, SAYING: "We're calling for an SOS for Venezuela so that they (authorities) respect the rights of Venezuelans, so they respect human rights, so they don't continue to beat up students, so students don't continue to die. This is what we're asking for and we're calling on the Argentine people to take on this call because we all have the right to live and express ourselves as the free people we are. It's not possible that in the 21st century we have a state which represses citizens in this way." VENEZUELAN EXPATS DURING AT PROTEST PLACARD THAT READS "AS IF WE'RE ARGEN-ZUELA, WE DEFEND VENEZUELA" PLACARD AT PROTEST VARIOUS OF PROTESTERS
- Embargoed: 9th March 2014 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Argentina
- Country: Argentina
- Topics: International Relations,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVADKAJVKSDGU17RO772VXRHCFJF
- Story Text: Venezuelan expats protested at a university in downtown Buenos Aires on Saturday (February 22) to demand the government of Nicolas Maduro step down as political unrest deepens.
The rally - called S.O.S. Venezuela - is a show of support for student protests which have multiplied across Venezuela since the start of February - the biggest challenge to the Maduro administration since his election last year following the death of Hugo Chavez.
At least six people have died in Venezuela as security forces and protesters fight for control of the streets.
Tensions have escalated since opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, a 42-year-old Harvard-educated economist, turned himself in to troops this week. He is being held in Caracas' Ramo Verde military jail on charges of fomenting the violence.
Maduro's government has vowed to take "special measures" to restore order there but protesters accuse authorities of using heavy-handed tactics to quell unrest.
"We're calling for an SOS for Venezuela so that they (authorities) respect the rights of Venezuelans, so they respect human rights, so they don't continue to beat up students, so students don't continue to die. This is what we're asking for and we're calling on the Argentine people to take on this call because we all have the right to live and express ourselves as the free people we are. It's not possible that in the 21st century we have a state which represses citizens in this way," said protester, Richard Molina.
The sporadic protests of recent weeks, including violent clashes between students and security forces in the western Andes region, have so far shown no signs they could force Maduro from power or convince him to resign.
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