"No Forgiveness": Maduro Arrests 2,000 Venezuelan Protesters, Vows 'Maximum Punishment'
Post-election demonstrations in Venezuela continue as pressure mounts against disputed President Nicolás Maduro, who has firmly stood his ground amid ongoing calls to release voting details from the July 28 general election. In the streets, clashes between Venezuelan security forces and protesters have resulted in at least 20 deaths, according to Human Rights Watch.
“This time, there will be no forgiveness,” Maduro said during a Saturday rally of his supporters in Caracas. “We have 2,000 prisoners captured and from there, they will go to Tocorón and Tocuyito [prisons], maximum punishment, justice.”
During what Maduro supporters called a “grand national march for the defense of peace,” allies of the disputed head of state gathered outside the presidential palace of Miraflores while Maduro delivered a fiery address that condemned the opposition-led protests.
Maduro called for the arrest of opposition leader Maria Corina Machado and presidential candidate Edmundo Gonzalez for “electoral fraud,” and demanded a criminal sentence of 15 to 30 years in prison. Court authorities in Caracas reportedly issued an arrest warrant for Machado on July 31 for challenging the accuracy of the election results and encouraging protesters.
Regardless, demonstrators are standing their ground after a week of protests, saying they believe there is evidence showing Gonzalez won the July 28 general election.
