Venezuelan Attorney General criticizes repression by security forces during protests
Record ID:
876766
Venezuelan Attorney General criticizes repression by security forces during protests
- Title: Venezuelan Attorney General criticizes repression by security forces during protests
- Date: 24th May 2017
- Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (MAY 24, 2017) (REUTERS) ****WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** EXTERIOR OF NATIONAL SCHOOL OF PROSECUTORS VENEZUELAN FLAG AND FLAG OF THE PUBLIC MINISTRY LOGO OF PUBLIC MINISTRY VENEZUELAN ATTORNEY GENERAL, LUISA ORTEGA, ARRIVING FOR NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN ATTORNEY GENERAL, LUISA ORTEGA, SAYING: "I want to refer to a case, that of the student Juan Pernalete. In accordance with our investigation, the death of the student came about by a cardiogenic shock due to closed chest trauma. He was struck with an object like this. [HOLDS UP A TEAR GAS CANISTER]. An object like this struck him. It goes here. This hit him. This is a tear gas bomb." LOGOS FOR THE PUBLIC MINISTRY ON WALL LOGO FOR THE PUBLIC MINISTRY (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN ATTORNEY GENERAL, LUISA ORTEGA, SAYING: "To date, 55 people have been killed. 52 are civilians and three are police or military officers. We registered a total of 1,000 people injured, of which 771 are civilians and 229 are police or military officers. 346 public and private properties have been burned and looted." AIDE PUTTING TEAR GAS CANISTER IN PAPER BAG (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN ATTORNEY GENERAL, LUISA ORTEGA, SAYING: "In this, the political actors in dispute have a great responsibility and must ease their tone of ignorance of the contrary [viewpoint] and reject their expressions of hatred to the other [side] because the consequence will be a spiral of political violence and repression that will not decrease." MEDIA PACKING UP THEIR EQUIPMENT ORTEGA LEAVING
- Embargoed: 7th June 2017 20:23
- Keywords: Nicolas Maduro security forces chief prosecutor Luisa Ortega
- Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- City: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
- Country: Venezuela
- Topics: Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0016I78UO7
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Deepening her split with unpopular President Nicolas Maduro's government, Venezuela's chief prosecutor on Wednesday (May 24) accused security officers of excessive force.
After nearly two months of massive anti-government rallies demanding early presidential elections, fissures have appeared in the hitherto publicly homogenous socialist administration.
In a speech on Wednesday, Attorney General Luisa Ortega said 55 people had been killed in unrest, around 1,000 others injured, and 346 properties burned or looted as chaos flares across the oil-rich country reeling from economic crisis.
In one particularly controversial case, Ortega said investigations showed 20 year-old student Juan Pernalete was killed by a tear gas canister fired from close range by a National Guard, not by a pistol as officials had suggested.
She held up up a canister at a news conference she was forced to give at an alternative venue after a power outage in her office.
More than half of the injuries have been caused by security forces, she added, condemning violence on both sides.
The pro-government electoral council on Tuesday said voting for a controversial "constituent assembly" would be held in July and delayed state elections in December.
Maduro foes countered that was a sham designed to confuse Venezuelans, prompt infighting among the opposition over strategy, and allow the unpopular leftist government to dodge free and fair elections they would likely lose. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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