Page 12 - ARUBA TODAY

A12 WORLD NEWS
Monday 10 april 2017

Venezuelans pour into Caracas streets in anti-Maduro protest

an emotional Capriles said ing to Ramon Muchacho,
from a stage Saturday as a Caracas-area mayor
he called on protesters where the demonstration
to march to the ombuds- took place.
man’s office downtown. Around most of Caracas,
As the sea of protesters ap- checkpoints were set up
proached the headquar- to search cars and frisk
ters of state-run PDVSA oil bus passengers even miles
company, they were met away from the clashes. As
by rubber bullets and a night fell, many streets still
curtain of eye-scorching reeked of tear gas and a
tear gas, some of it a nev- small group of youth burned
er-before-seen red color. trash and tore down street
Mayhem ensued, with riot signs at busy intersections
police racing down windy in eastern Caracas.As the
streets, dodging objects most dominant figure in
thrown from tall apartment the opposition over the
buildings as they deployed past decade, Capriles has
to squash the unrest. been at the forefront of the
Later, a small group of protests, the most combat-
youths unsuccessfully tried ive since a wave of anti-
to set fire to a Supreme government unrest in 2014
Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles, center, walks during a protest against President Court office building. in which dozens of people
Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela, Saturday, April 8, 2017. Capriles was banned from running The violence was con- were killed, many at the
for office for 15 years. demned by the opposition hands of security forces.
(AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)
leadership, who nonethe- The almost-daily churn of
JOSHUA GOODMAN capital and several other arrest. less blame Maduro’s obsti- events in what the oppo-
Associated Press cities came a day after The protests were triggered nacy for fueling the unrest. sition calls an “ongoing
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) Maduro’s government by the Supreme Court’s They called for another coup” by the government
— Venezuela’s govern- barred top opposition decision to gut the oppo- protest Monday. But with has energized and united
ment fired tear gas and rub- leader Henrique Capriles sition-controlled legislature Caracas shutting down the normally fractious op-
ber bullets at some of the from running for office for of its last vestiges of power, for the Easter holiday — position.While opposition
thousands of opponents of 15 years. a move that was later re- which Maduro extended leaders have insisted on
President Nicolas Maduro The ban capped a tumul- versed amid widespread by decree for three extra peaceful protest, frustra-
who poured into the streets tuous 10 day-crackdown international condemna- days — they appeared tion built up over 17 years
of Caracas Saturday amid that saw pro-government tion and even dissent with- to be saving their strength of polarizing socialist rule in
a weeklong protest move- groups rough up several in Maduro’s normally disci- for a major demonstration Venezuela is running high
ment that shows little sign opposition leaders and an- plined socialist leadership. called for April 19. on both sides.
of losing steam. other seek refuge in a for- “Nobody can disqualify At least 17 people were As Saturday’s march be-
The demonstrations in the eign embassy to escape the Venezuelan people,” treated for injuries, accord- gan, protesters snatched
Brazil: a camera from crew mem-
Authorities say 7 prisoners die in Amazonas prison bers working for pro-gov-
ernment state broadcaster
SAO PAULO (AP) — Seven found Saturday, accord- cording to the prison ad- largely blamed on clashes VTV, chasing them away
inmates have died in a ing to a second statement. ministration, and prisoners between rival gangs. Those from the crowd with kicks
and insults. Police, mean-
penitentiary in a northern It was not clear when the did not resist the police who gruesome deaths raised
Brazilian state where ri- seventh death occurred. responded to the crimes. serious questions about while, made social media
posts of mugshots of pro-
ots left dozens of prisoners The circumstances sur- Four prisoners died at the Brazil’s prisons, which are
dead earlier this year, ac- rounding all of the deaths same lockup in January, often overcrowded, under- testers taken undercover
and asked for information
cording to authorities. are under investigation. when a series of riots at Bra- staffed and virtually con-
Six of the prisoners died Fri- One of those killed had zilian prisons left more than trolled by gangs. on the unidentified “gen-
erators of violence.”
day at the Puraquequara been decapitated; anoth- 120 inmates dead, includ- At Puraquequara, for in-
prison in Manaus, the capi- er appeared to have been ing more than 50 at an- stance, 1,286 prisoners are Leaders in the ruling social-
ist party have accused the
tal of Amazonas state, the asphyxiated. other Amazonas peniten- being held in a facility built
state prison administration Unlike in previous prison kill- tiary. Some of those killed for less than half that num- opposition of trying to pro-
voke a bloodbath and its
said. ings, there was no riot when had been decapitated or ber, according to the pris-
The seventh body was the deaths occurred, ac- dismembered in violence on administration. own coup.q