By Canadian Press

Amnesty documents Venezuelan rights violations since start of democracy protests

Feb 20, 2019 | 1:12 PM

OTTAWA — Amnesty International is accusing Venezuelan police and forces loyal to President Nicolas Maduro of hundreds of human-rights abuses following the start of pro-democracy protests in the last month.

The abuses include 900 arbitrary detentions and six extrajudicial killings, the organization says in a statement released Wednesday.

Amnesty says 41 people died from gunshot wounds between Jan. 21 and Jan. 25 in public protests, and says impoverished neighbourhoods were the main targets of the abuse.  

The report accuses the special forces of the country’s national police of carrying out a campaign of political repression and social control on Maduro’s behalf.

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Canada, along with the United States and dozens of countries in Latin America and Europe, recognize opposition leader Juan Guaido as the legitimate interim president of Venezuela, saying Maduro fraudulently won power in a May 2018 election.

Canada and its Western Hemisphere allies have called on Venezuela’s military to switch allegiance from Maduro and support Guaido as their country’s leader.

The Canadian Press