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Mariela Magallanes is also inside the Italian embassy, while her colleague Richard Blanco has gone to the Argentina Embassy in Caracas.El Periodico didn't hesitate to call it 'taking refuge". (Machine translation. Original here)
Their moves echo those made by 1970s dissidents scrambling for protection under the flags of other countries during the previous era of Latin American dictatorships.
Blanco told local media that he went to the Argentina embassy after the arrest of Edgar Zambrano, the vice-president of the National Assembly.
Zambrano, 63, was leaving his Democratic Action Party's headquarters Wednesday when he was surprised by a commando unit from the feared SEBIN intelligence agency. The unit member surrounded his vehicle.
About 30 minutes later, the vehicle was towed away with Zambrano still inside.
It was the latest move in a protracted, increasingly murky struggle between the two camps vying for power and the support of the military.
Opposition leader Juan Guaido portrayed the arrest and the targeting of lawmakers as acts of desperation by a government whose leaders don't know who to trust.
A total of 29 National Assembly members, or 25% of parliamentarians who oppose the government, have been persecuted by the pro-Maduro supreme court, according to Guaidó.
Opposition activist Leopoldo López entered the home of the Spanish ambassador after he joined Guaido in the failed attempt to topple Maduro. López was detained for anti-government protests in 2014 and had been under house arrest for two years before he was freed.
On Thursday, Miguel Rodríguez Torres, a former spy chief who became a government critic, was also transferred by military police to a maximum-security cell at a Caracas military base, his political movement said. Rodríguez Torres was arrested a year ago.
The Venezuelan deputy Américo De Grazia takes refuge in the Italian embassy
He is accused of participating in the rebellion that culminated in the failed coup against Nicolás Maduro and intends to avoid his arrest
Venezuelan deputy Américo De Grazia, accused by Nicolás Maduro's government of being involved in last week's failed military uprising, took refuge in the Italian embassy to avoid being detained and displayed as a "trophy," the legislator said.
"I will not give pleasure to the narco-dictatorship that exhibits me as a trophy and uses me as a hostage, in exchange for condoning their crimes against humanity, human rights violations, corruption, drug trafficking and terrorism. I'm still in the fight, Venezuela is worth it and I appreciate Italy's welcome," said the opposition deputy in his Twitter account.I will not like the #NarcoDictadura that shows me as a trophy and uses me as a hostage, in exchange for condoning their crimes against humanity, violation of human rights, corruption, drug trafficking and terrorism. I'm still in the fight. #VenezuelaValeLaPena . And I appreciate the welcome of ITALY.De Grazia, 59 years old and legislator for the state of Bolívar (south), is one of the 10 opposition deputies recently accused by the Venezuelan government of being part of the military uprising on April 30, which was headed by the head of parliament, Juan Guaidó
- Americo De Grazia (@AmericoDeGrazia) May 9, 2019
Accuses the mafias
Last Tuesday, the chavista National Constituent Assembly (ANC), a body not recognized by many governments and made up only of government officials, revoked the parliamentary immunity after the Supreme Court pointed him out as one of those responsible for the rebellion.
But many more recognize Maduro as the legitimate leader of Venezuela, as well as the UN.
From his seat in Parliament he has denounced the alleged incursion of Colombian paramilitaries into his state, which he accuses of controlling mafias that extract minerals illegally. "With this action I do not intend to be a hero, nor a martyr. I just want to be useful to my country," De Grazia said of his entry into the Italian embassy.
"To my family, and to my mother and my children, to give them some peace, I know all the limitations imposed on me, with this decision that I was forced to take," added the deputy, whose status is unknown. he has in the Italian embassy .With this action I do not pretend to be a hero, nor a martyr. I just want to be USEFUL to my Country. To my family and to my mother and my children, give her some peace. I know of all the limitations that are imposed on me, with this decision that I was forced to take. I REITERATE my commitment to Vzla.On the other hand, it is known that the deputy Mariela Magallanes, from the same party as De Grazia (La Causa R), took refuge in the residence of the Italian ambassador in Caracas to avoid being imprisoned. Likewise, Congressman Richard Blanco, of the Alianza Bravo Pueblo party, asked for protection as a guest at the Argentine embassy in Venezuela, reported his son, Richard Blanco, on the social network Instagram.
- Americo De Grazia (@AmericoDeGrazia) May 9, 2019
"This is an imperialist colonialist view of things. They think that having given the orders, Venezuela's military will just say 'understood Mr. Pence.' No! Mike Pence, the constitutional, legitimate commander in chief of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces is here before you and his name is Nicolas Maduro Moros."Maduro stressed that Pence had no authority to advise the Venezuelan military in any way.
"Yeah, I'm not going to comment on a particular investigative step, because that's for the bureau to do, and I'm not in the government any longer, but the FBI doesn't spy to begin with. The FBI investigates. And you got to remember where we were in the end of July 2016. We knew the Russians were engaged in a massive effort to attack our democracy, and then we learn from an allied ambassador that one of President Trump-elect - candidate Trump's advisers had been talking to a Russian representative long before that about dirt they had on Hillary Clinton that the Russians wanted to make available."
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