Women March Saturday in Ongoing Protests Against Venezuela’s Maduro

Hundreds of women dressed in all white marched in Venezuela’s capital Saturday, continuing more than a month of demonstrations against President Nicolas Maduro.

Saturday’s rally, led by opposition leaders and lawmakers, marched to the Interior Ministry to denounce “repression” over the past month as demonstrators have been hit with tear gas by security forces.

The march came one day after a young man was shot in the head during clashes between demonstrators and security forces, bringing the death toll from such clashes over the past five weeks to 37.

U.S. National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster met with Venezuelan National Assembly President Julio Borges in Washington Friday to discuss the ongoing crisis and need for the government to adhere to its constitution.

“They agreed that there is a strong need to bring the crisis to a quick and peaceful conclusion,” a readout of the meeting released by the White House Saturday said.

U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley also released a statement on the protests, calling on Maduro’s “regime” to respect the constitution.

“We are deeply concerned about the Maduro government’s violent crackdown on protestors in Venezuela,” the statement said. “President Maduro’s disregard for the fundamental rights of his own people has heightened the political and economic crisis in the country.”

The ongoing demonstrations started after the Venezuelan Supreme Court’s March 30 announcement that it would strip the opposition-controlled National Assembly of its legislative powers. The court reversed its position in the wake of domestic and international outcries about an attempted power grab.

 

 

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