Venezuelan Opposition Party Complains of “Brutal Assault”

The leaders of the Venezuelan opposition party headed by imprisoned Leopoldo Lopez, Voluntad Popular (Popular Will, or VP), on Monday went to the Attorney General’s Office to complain of the “brutal assault” against the organization and called for a halt to the political “persecution” and threats against it by the Nicolas Maduro government. “The entire national leadership of Voluntad Popular is at the Attorney General’s Office saying: stop the persecution, and if you’re going to arrest us, arrest all of us at once,” said the VP’s national coordinator, Freddy Guevara. Since the Venezuelan opposition convened a huge demonstration in Caracas on Sept. 1 to pressure the election authorities to set a date for complying with the requirements of the next phase leading to a recall referendum against Maduro, the VP has complained of a “wave of persecution” against its leaders. More…