Venezuela Troops Take Prosecutor Office as Enemies Targeted

[Eugene]

6. Venezuelan president removes chief prosecutor, a leading critic, from office

Source: Washington Post

Venezuelan president removes chief prosecutor, a leading critic, from office

By Mariana Zuniga and Anthony Faiola August 5 at 12:02 PM

BREAKING NEWS, 11:43 a.m.: Venezuela’s chief prosecutor, a vocal critic of the president, has been removed from office in a crackdown on dissent. A new governing body of President Nicolás Maduro, stripped Luisa Ortega of her title and replaced her with a government loyalist.

CARACAS — Government forces surrounded the offices of Venezuela’s independent chief prosecutor early Saturday as signs grew that President Nicolás Maduro was moving fast to consolidate authoritarian rule and squelch dissent following the installation of what critics call a puppet congress.

In a telephone interview with The Washington Post, chief prosecutor Luisa Ortega, who broke with Maduro last March, said she was not inside the building but was en route to her office, where government forces had sequestered her staff.

“I can inform you that my office has been taken by public security forces, including national guards and policemen, between 400 and 500” troops, she said. “We still don’t know how many of our employees are inside. They’re not permitting us to go in, or anyone to go out.”

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Read more: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/government-forces-surround-office-of-venezuelas-chief-prosecutor/2017/08/05/2a7c76a2-79e2-11e7-8f39-eeb7d3a2d304_story.html