CARACAS, Venezuela, Aug 5, (AP): Voices across the globe expressed concern Sunday over the growing number of arrests in Venezuela following last weekend’s disputed elections.
Pope Francis said Venezuela is "living a critical situation” in his traditional Sunday remarks at the Vatican, adding, "I appeal to all parties to seek the truth, to avoid all kinds of violence.”
The remarks came hours after Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced Saturday that the government has arrested 2,000 opponents. At a rally in the Venezuelan capital Caracas, Maduro pledged to detain more people and send them to prison.
U.S. Deputy National Security Adviser Jon Finer told CBS program "Face the Nation” Sunday that the Biden administration is worried the arrests could spark wider unrest.
"We are concerned about the prospect of instability, should there continue to be these detentions,” Finer said.
And in a statement, the leaders of several European countries including France, Spain, Germany and Italy said "the rights of all the Venezuelans, especially the political leaders, should be respected during this process. We strongly condemn any arrests or threats against them.”
Authorities have declared President Nicolás Maduro the victor in last Sunday’s election but have yet to produce voting tallies to prove he won. The opposition claims to have tally sheets showing it won.
An Associated Press analysis Friday of vote tally sheets released by the opposition coalition indicates that their candidate, Edmundo González, won significantly more votes than the government claimed, casting serious doubt on the official declaration that Maduro won.
Both González, a former diplomat, and opposition leader María Corina Machado - who was barred by the government from running - have gone into hiding, saying they fear they will be arrested or killed. Maduro and his cadres have threatened to lock them both up.
The government arrested hundreds of opposition supporters who took to the streets in the days after the disputed poll.
Machado braved the threats to speak at a massive opposition rally Saturday in Caracas, but was whisked away afterwards on the back of a motorcycle.