1st May, 2019
At least 83 people were detained on Tuesday in Venezuela during protests against the government, Head of Foro Penal Venezuelan non-governmental organization (NGO) Alfredo Romero said on Twitter.
“We confirm the information on 83 arrests for participation in demonstrations today,” he wrote. According to NGO estimates, most people were detained in Zulia state. In other regions, the number of detainees varies from one to four. Earlier, human rights activists talked about 25 people in detention.
Protests began in Caracas and several other cities in Venezuela after a group of servicemen took the side of Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido. During the demonstrations, accompanied by clashes with the security forces, a few dozen people were injured in the capital of the country.
Earlier on Tuesday, Guaido published a video on Twitter, in which he urged the Venezuelan military to take to the streets in order to “end the usurpation” in the country. A group of military officers and head of the Popular Will party Leopoldo Lopez also appeared in the video.