CARACAS/BUENOS AIRES : Two Venezuelan lawmakers sought refuge at foreign embassies in Caracas on Thursday, as the government of President Nicolas Maduro cracked down on allies of opposition leader Juan Guaido who supported his attempted uprising last week.
Richard Blanco of the Brave Peoples’ Alliance party entered Argentina’s embassy, according to an Argentine foreign ministry source and a Reuters witness, while Americo De Grazia of the Radical Cause party sought refuge at Italy’s embassy, according to three sources close to him.
The moves came the day after authorities arrested Edgar Zambrano, the opposition-run National Assembly’s vice president.
Blanco, Zambrano and De Grazia were among 10 lawmakers stripped of congressional immunity by the Supreme Court this week, which said the legislators should be investigated for crimes including conspiracy, treason and rebellion. Marianella Magallanes, another lawmaker, took refuge in the Italian embassy on Wednesday.
The opposition do not recognise the Supreme Court’s decisions since they say Maduro has stocked it with his own supporters. The U.S. government has threatened to impose sanctions on all of the court’s members.
Venezuela’s information ministry, Argentina’s embassy in Caracas, and Italy’s embassy in Caracas did not respond to requests for comment.
