Zambrano/Guaido
© picture-alliance/dpa/AP/F.LianoFormer VP of Venezuelan National Assembly, Edgar Zambrano with Pretender Juan Guaido
US State Department head Mike Pompeo has suffered a public meltdown, reacting forcefully that the constitutional government of Venezuela actually arrested a key member of the upper house of parliament (AN) - Edgar Zambrano - who was actively engaged in the treasonous coup, and openly called for the military to violate their sworn oaths. Pompeo reached out to world media, announcing that the Venezuelan courts moves were an "Unacceptable and illegal step."

Mike Pompeo denounced the detention by Venezuelan authorities of the now-former Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly, Edgar Zambrano. In a statement released last night, Pompeo describes as an "arbitrary" and "unacceptable and illegal act" the arrest of the politician, first vice president of the National Assembly of Venezuela, which took place this Wednesday night in Caracas, at the hands of SEBIN agents.

Despite Pompeo's public tantrum, widely viewed as hypocritical, there are no signs that Venezuelan authorities are prepared to release an accused coup-planner and traitor on his own recognizance.

According to witnesses, bodies of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) arrived at the main headquarters of the Acción Democrática party, to which Zambrano belongs. The deputy was in his vehicle, who refused to step outside. It was then that SEBIN officials pulled the deputy's car with a crane, and in a raucous scene, he was arrested by SEBIN while in his car, taken by tow-truck. It should be noted that Diosdado Cabello confirmed the arrest of Zambrano on the same Wednesday night.

Days before, the Constituent National Assembly (ANC) - the legislative body in Venezuela comparable to the house of commons or the house of representatives - authorized legislation which the executive branch and courts approved, which removed the immunity from criminal charges for key members of the opposition who can be demonstrated to be conspiring with foreign powers against the constitutional order, which were previously enjoyed by members of both houses.

FRN reported yesterday Zambrano was arrested by national intelligence officers of Venezuela as one of the main organizers of the attempted coup d'etat on April 30. The head of the National Assembly, the leader of the opposition, Juan Guaido , announced his arrest.

Earlier, Guaido acknowledged the failure of the coup attempt, which he says occurred due to the refusal of the military to go over to the side of the self-proclaimed president.

The crimes committed by Zambrano are:
"treason to the homeland, conspiracy, instigation to the insurrection, civil rebellion, conspiracy to commit a crime, usurpation of functions, public instigation to the disobedience of the laws and continued hatred, planned and sanctioned in articles 128, 132, 143, 145, 163, 213, 285, all of the Criminal Code, respectively and Association, provided for and sanctioned in article 37 of the Organic Law Against Organized Crime and Terrorist Financing."
Likewise, the National Constituent Assembly (ANC) of Venezuela approved on May 7 to revoke parliamentary immunity to eight deputies of the National Assembly (AN), an instance that has been in contempt since 2016, for their participation in the coup attempt. Among them, the first vice president of the AN, Edgar Zambrano.

The other seven opposition deputies, whose parliamentary immunity was raided are: Herry Ramos, Luis Florido, Richard Blanco, Marianela Magallanes, Américo De Grazia, Andres Velazques and José Calzadilla.
About the Author:
Joaquin Flores is Editor-in-Chief of Fort Russ News, as well as the Director of the Belgrade based think-tank, the Center for Syncretic Studies. He served as Chief Negotiator and Internal Organizer in several jurisdictions for the SEIU labor union in California. Flores has appeared regularly on Iran's 'PressTV' and Russia's 'RT' news for current geopolitical matters.