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Venezuela AG got affidavit from opposition leader, legal representative says

The legal representative for Venezuela opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez said on Wednesday the attorney general's office got his affidavit describing why Gonzalez ignored 3 summons, in the middle of an ongoing election dispute.

The summons came before an arrest warrant was provided for Gonzalez, the opposition's erstwhile presidential candidate, on Monday on accusations of usurpation of functions, falsification of public documents and conspiracy, to name a few charges.

The summons were based upon an associated case - an examination into a site where the opposition posted copies of vote tallies from July's contested election that has led to deadly protests and the arrests of prominent opposition figures.

Venezuela's national electoral authority and its leading court have stated President Nicolas Maduro was the victor of the election with just over half of the votes, however opposition tallies reveal a definite victory for Gonzalez.

The opposition, some Western countries and worldwide bodies like a United Nations panel of specialists have stated the vote was not transparent and required publication of full tallies, with some straight-out decrying scams.

Many countries, consisting of the U.S., have also slammed the arrest warrant, which followed weeks of comments from top government officials that Gonzalez and other members of the opposition should go to jail.

The Brazilian and Colombian federal governments stated in a joint statement late on Tuesday they were exceptionally worried about the warrant. Colombia's foreign minister said the presidents of Colombia, Brazil and Mexico may hold a call with Maduro to reveal their position.

DEFENSE DIFFICULTIES

In his letter to the district attorney, Gonzalez said he was not accountable for the publication of voting tallies which the electoral council's authority was not breached because the law allows the supply of tallies to candidates' witnesses.

The objective was to provide a file that clarifies all the details for which Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia did not appear, the candidate's lawyer, Jose Vicente Haro, told reporters after leaving the chief law officer's workplace in Caracas.

We hope they acknowledge that the acts they want to quality( to Gonzalez) are not criminal in nature, which is the main point, Haro included.

Venezuelan law does not allow those over 70 to serve sentences in jails, rather needing house arrest. Gonzalez turned 75 last week.

PROTEST DEATHS

At least two dozen people died at post-election protests and numerous significant opposition figures have been apprehended.

The federal government calls the opposition a fascist motion allied with imperialist forces abroad and blames it for the protest deaths. Challengers accuse the federal government of carrying out a project of repression.

Advocacy group Human being Rights Watch (HRW) said in a report on Wednesday it had received reliable accusations of the deaths of 23 protesters and one member of the national guard. It said it had documented in detail 6 cases of people eliminated throughout the demonstrations.

In many cases security forces like the police and national guard existed when individuals were fatally injured or eliminated, HRW stated, while in others ruling party-allied motorbike gangs called 'collectives' assaulted protesters.

The repression we are seeing in Venezuela is shockingly brutal, said Juanita Goebertus, HRW's Americas director, in a. declaration. Worried governments need to take urgent actions to. guarantee that individuals are able to peacefully protest and that their. vote is respected.

The federal government, which has asked residents to report fascist. activities utilizing an app, states 27 individuals passed away in the protests. and it has actually arrested some 2,400 people. It did not instantly. respond to an ask for discuss the HRW report.

(source: Reuters)