- Title: Tillerson: Re-arrest of Venezuelan opposition leaders 'very alarming'
- Date: 1st August 2017
- Summary: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES (AUGUST 1, 2017) (STATE TV) SECRETARY OF STATE REX TILLERSON AT LECTERN (SOUNDBITE) (English) SECRETARY OF STATE REX TILLERSON SAYING: "Clearly what we want to see is for Venezuela to return to its constitution, return to its scheduled elections and allow the people of Venezuela to have a voice and a government they deserve. We are very, very troubled by what we are seeing unfold, following the constituent assembly vote which went about as expected, but the re-arrest of opposition leaders last night is very alarming. This could lead to an outbreak of further violence in the country." JOURNALIST AT BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (English) SECRETARY OF STATE REX TILLERSON SAYING: "The situation from a humanitarian standpoint is already becoming dire. We are evaluating all of our policy options as to what can we do create a change of conditions where either Maduro decides he doesn't have a future and wants to leave of his own accord or we can return the government processes back to their constitution." JOURNALIST
- Embargoed: 15th August 2017 20:35
- Keywords: Tillerson State Venezuela crisis politics Maduro
- Location: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- City: WASHINGTON, D.C., UNITED STATES
- Country: USA
- Topics: Diplomacy/Foreign Policy,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA0016SBTKJR
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, on Tuesday (August 1), said the re-arrests of two opposition leaders in Venezuela was a "very alarming" development. Venezuela jailed two leading critics of President Nicolas Maduro in a fresh blow to the opposition after the election of a new political body with absolute powers to strengthen the hand of the leftist government.
"Clearly what we want to see is for Venezuela to return to its constitution, return to its scheduled elections and allow the people of Venezuela to have a voice and a government they deserve," Tillerson said, during a rare appearance at the State Department briefing.
The United States imposed sanctions on Maduro on Monday (July 31), calling him a "dictator" for Sunday's election of a constituent assembly that the opposition boycotted and denounced as illegitimate.
In a statement announcing the jailing of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez and veteran politician Antonio Ledezma, the pro-government Supreme Court said they were planning to flee the country and had violated terms of their house arrest by making political statements and speaking to media.
But government opponents called the abrupt removal of the men from their homes by security forces in night-time raids a sign of Maduro's determination to silence rivals and stamp out four months of massive street protests against him.
About 120 people have been killed in the unrest, including at least 10 during Sunday's vote. - Copyright Holder: STATE DEPARTMENT TV
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