Former opposition candidate Edmundo González urges the attorney general not to engage in a political persecution
AP, Reuters, AFP and Sputnik
The newspaper La Jornada
Thursday, September 5, 2024, p. 26
Washington. A member of the United States Navy was detained in Venezuela last week after traveling to that country without authorization personal mattersthe Pentagon reported yesterday.
The Navy is investigating the matter and working closely with the State Department, an official said on condition of anonymity.
The sailor was detained on or about Aug. 30, two defense officials said.
White House Homeland Security spokesman John Kirby confirmed that a U.S. soldier had been detained and said Washington was trying to obtain information from Venezuelan authorities.
The government of President Nicolás Maduro did not respond to a request for comment.
Meanwhile, the defense of former opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González denounced that the Attorney General’s Office refused to accept a document explaining the reasons why he abstained from appearing in a criminal investigation opened against him after the presidential elections. His lawyer, José Vicente Haro, told reporters that he returned in the afternoon and finally handed it over.
A court on Monday issued an arrest warrant against Gonzalez for allegedly committing usurpation of functions, falsifying public documents and conspiracy, among other crimes.
The subpoena was based on a related case: an investigation into a site web where the opposition published copies of vote counts from the July 28 presidential election, sparking mass protests and arrests.
The electoral authority and the highest court said Maduro won the election with just over half the votes, but opposition recounts show without evidence a victory for Gonzalez.
The opposition, some Western countries and international bodies, including a United Nations panel of experts, have said the vote was not transparent and demanded the publication of full counts; some have alleged fraud.
Many countries, including the United States, also criticized Gonzalez’s arrest warrant.
On the other hand, Gonzalez asked the Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, avoid political persecution.
The opposition leader’s request, which has been in hiding since July 30, was made known by his lawyer Haro, who was received yesterday by the attorney general, the local newspaper reported. The Universal.