CARACAS, Venezuela — Thousands of protesters marched again in Venezuela’s capital Wednesday, with the rejuvenated anti-government movement showing no sign of letting up on political unrest that has been blamed for 29 deaths in recent weeks.
The mass of demonstrators paraded through downtown Caracas in an attempt to deliver a message to the national ombudsman, whose job is to stand up for citizens’ rights but who the opposition has tagged the “defender of the dictator.” The march was stopped before reaching his office as state security forces unleashed tear gas on protesters on the city’s main highway.
“The repression is very strong,” Luis Florido, an opposition lawmaker, said as he dodged plumes of tear gas.
In the latest tally of deaths, opposition leaders said Juan Pablo Pernalete Llovera, 20, was killed after being struck in the head by a tear gas canister in Caracas. Two other deaths were reported Wednesday: Efrain Sierra, 28, who died from a gunshot in the stomach during a protest in Tachira, and Christian Humberto Ochoa Soriano, 22, killed during a demonstration Monday in Valencia, east of Caracas.
The protest came as Venezuela’s socialist government threatened to pull out of the Organization of American States over criticism of the administration’s handling of its political opponents.
Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez announced on state TV late Tuesday that she had been instructed by President Nicolas Maduro to initiate the country’s withdrawal from the Washington-based OAS if the region’s foreign ministers hold a meeting on the country’s crisis without his administration’s backing.
Her comments came hours before Wednesday’s meeting by envoys to the OAS to debate a proposal by Mexico, Brazil, the U.S. and 13 other nations to convene a special conference of foreign ministers to discuss Venezuela’s “situation.”
“We’re not going to continue allowing legal and institutional violations that are arbitrary and surpass any moral, ethical and licit boundary that nations in this regional organization should respect,” Rodriguez said.
Venezuelans have flooded the streets over the last month to demand an end to Maduro’s presidency. The protests have frequently ended in violent confrontations with security forces, which have used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds, and there also have been clashes with pro-government groups.
Venezuela’s chief prosecutor, Luisa Ortega Diaz, on Tuesday put a spotlight on the extent of the violence, saying more than 400 people had been injured and nearly 1,300 detained since the protests began in response to a Supreme Court ruling last month that stripped the opposition-controlled congress of much of its powers. The decision was later partially reversed amid a storm of international criticism — and from Ortega Diaz herself.
Opposition leaders have blamed armed pro-government militias known as “colectivos” for a number of the deaths, while government officials have accused the opposition of working with criminal gangs to foment unrest.
