High-profile Venezuelan judge shot dead as unrest persists

Record ID: 877698

  • Title: High-profile Venezuelan judge shot dead as unrest persists
  • Date: 1st June 2017
  • Summary: CARACAS, VENEZUELA (JUNE 1, 2017) (REUTERS) ****WARNING: CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** VENEZUELAN STATE OMBUDSMAN, TAREK WILLIAM SAAB, ARRIVING AT NEWS CONFERENCE CLOSE-UP OF SAAB SPEAKING GENERAL VIEW OF SAAB SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN OMBUDSMAN, TAREK WILLIAM SAAB, SAYING: "In the barricades, something which is spoken very little of, is that five people died by accident, due to blockades in public roads. Two were attacked with guns at the barricades. I want to add that there was one more yesterday, judge number 48 of the metropolitan area of Caracas, Nelson Moncada Gomez of 37-years-old. He was shot dead trying to cross a barricade in El Paraiso." CARACAS, VENEZUELA (RECENT) (REUTERS) PROTESTERS CLIMBING ON TOP OF WOODEN BARRICADES BUILT ON HIGHWAY PROTESTER USHERING OTHER PROTESTERS THROUGH BARRICADE CLOSE-UP OF PROTESTERS WITH HELMETS AND GAS MASKS PASSING THROUGH BARRICADE PROTESTERS JUMPING OVER BARRICADE OF SACKS CARACAS, VENEZUELA (JUNE 1, 2017) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN OMBUDSMAN, TAREK WILLIAM SAAB, SAYING: "According to the official work we have carried out in the field for the ombudsman's office, we have counted 52 deaths during the protests and demonstrations. In addition to this - I want to highlight this as additional - we have also counted 13 citizens who have died during the lootings of shops and acts of vandalism." GENERAL VIEW OF SAAB SPEAKING AT NEWS CONFERENCE (SOUNDBITE) (Spanish) VENEZUELAN OMBUDSMAN, TAREK WILLIAM SAAB, SAYING: "We call on security bodies, the police and military, that they comply with their mission to protect people's human rights, that they participate in public meetings and peaceful demonstrations. We extend this call to society in general." CARACAS, VENEZUELA (RECENT) (REUTERS) NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING TEAR GAS AT PROTESTERS FROM BEHIND FENCE AT MILITARY BASE GENERAL VIEW OF PROTESTERS RUNNING ON ROAD AND THROWING OBJECTS AT NATIONAL GUARD BEHIND FENCE, NATIONAL GUARD THROWING TEAR GAS VARIOUS OF MASKED PROTESTERS RUNNING AWAY FROM CLASHES NATIONAL GUARD SHOOTING AT PROTESTERS FROM BEHIND ARMOURED VEHICLE
  • Embargoed: 15th June 2017 21:23
  • Keywords: crisis barricades raid judge clashes protests violence Tarek Saab
  • Location: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • City: CARACAS, VENEZUELA
  • Country: Venezuela
  • Topics: Government/Politics
  • Reuters ID: LVA0026JG703R
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: EDITORS PLEASE NOTE THIS EDIT CONTAINS MATERIAL ORIGINALLY IN 4:3
    Gunmen shot dead a controversial Venezuelan judge who was involved in the putting behind bars of a leader of Venezuela's opposition in the latest fatality of two months of anti-government unrest that has seen at least 61 people killed, authorities said on Thursday (June 1).
    Judge Nelson Moncada, 37, was killed and stripped of his belongings as he tried to get away from the roadblock on Wednesday night in Caracas' El Paraiso district, the scene of regular clashes, the state prosecutor's office said.
    It was unclear why the judge was targeted. Some local news sites said the incident appeared to be a robbery while others noted he had presided in the controversial case of Bassil Da Costa, a protester shot during another wave of anti-Maduro demonstrations in 2014.
    Minister of the Interior, of Justice and Peace, Nestor Reverol, also noted Moncada had ratified the sentence of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez who was controversially jailed for inciting unrest in the same demonstrations.
    While Chief state prosecutor, Luisa Ortega's office has noted 61 deaths in protests and lootings that began in early April, Venezuela's state ombudsman Tarek Saab put the figure at 65.
    At a news conference, Saab noted there had been arrests or warrants issued for 35 members of the security forces over the fatalities and called on the police and military to comply with their function of protecting human rights. Rights campaigners say 3,000 people have also been arrested, of whom nearly half remain behind bars.
    This week has seen widespread violence around the Venezuelan capital, with security forces repeatedly breaking up marches by opposition supporters towards government offices downtown, and skirmishes continuing into the night.
    Venezuela's opposition is demanding new elections to replace the unpopular socialist president whom foes accuse of wrecking the OPEC nation's economy and of becoming a dictator.
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