Persecution in Venezuela: Nicolás Maduro's regime has excluded five more dissidents from holding public office

the Comptroller General Of Venezuela, Controlled by Nicolas Maduro's regime, it has banned four opponents, including a mayor, from holding “any public office.” 15 yearsas well as another anti-Chavista for a period 12 MonthsIt can also be seen on Wednesday on the foundation’s website.

Those penalties even Year 2039 They are the mayor Hatillo (Miranda state in the north) Elias Al-Sayeghformer MP Thomas Guaniba And former mayors Jose Fernandez And Carlos OcarizWhile former Rep Juan Carlos Caldera He was ruled out for “12 months”.

Of the five, Guaniba, Ocariz and Caldera You belong to the party Justice first (PJ), intervened on Monday before Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ), which handed control to presidential candidate José Brito, was expelled from the formation in 2020 due to corruption accusations. corruption.

pj head, Maria Beatriz MartinezHe stressed on Wednesday that these new exclusions – which are being announced as the country prepares to hold presidential elections on July 28 – mean “New arbitrarinessBy the Chavez “regime”.

“The system behaves this way, it knows that it has an expiration date, which is July 28th. Our goal is to fight for a Venezuela where these injustices do not occur and there is a real rule of law.” – said the commander.

From PJ, the two-time presidential candidate is also ineligible Henrique Capriles, He cannot hold any public office until 2032, a punishment ratified by the Supreme Court in January that responds to the interests of the dictatorship.

Justice first It is part of the main opposition coalition Democratic Unionist Platform (PUD) who elected the former ambassador Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia As a presidential candidate to replace Maria Corina Machado -The winner of the primary elections held last October-, who was disqualified from holding elected office.

The Comptroller's Office page does not specify the reasons for excluding these four opponents.

Unionist opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia expressed his solidarity with those under sanctions.

“We reject the new exclusions for the Office of the Comptroller General, which is another example of the urgent need to restore the rule of law in our country,” the former VX diplomat said.

On the same social network, Henrique Capriles, a two-time presidential candidate, accused Nicolas Maduro of using the comptroller's office “as… The executive arm of his oppressive and undemocratic vision“.

“New cases of illegal and unconstitutional disqualification against colleagues without any crime, and even more dangerously, without the right to defenseThe opposition figure predicted that in the presidential elections scheduled for July 28, “millions” would vote to remove Chavismo from power, which it reached in 1999.

The Primero Justicia (PJ) party, in which three of those sanctioned are active, also considered that these measures constitute “A clear attempt to undermine the democratic process and unityto the opposition ahead of the July elections.

The group added: “We urge the international community and human rights defenders to condemn these actions and monitor the situation in Venezuela.”

(With information from EFE)