The Spanish government has formally requested to speak Venezuela’s chief representative in that country over comments made by Maduro yesterday regarding former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar. Maduro accused Aznar of being personally responsible for the deaths of 1.2 million people.
During a speech yesterday, Maduro said:
… 1.2 million people died in Iraq thanks to Aznar, that Spanish murderer, that bloody Spanish murderer.
(…)
I call him a murderer because he’s responsible for the deaths of 1.2 million Iraqis, because he promoted the [Iraq] war.
Today, the Spanish government issued a release in which it “deplores the unfortunate comments by President Maduro”, and partially reads:
This government wants to highlight its complete support and solidarity with the ex-Spanish Prime Minister. These kinds of condemnations, falsehoods and slander regarding Spanish political leaders come, unfortunately, far too often from the Venezuelan government.
Since there is currently no Venezuelan ambassador to Spain (he was recalled in October after Maduro took offence over comments by the current Prime Minister regarding the human rights violations in the country), Spain has request to speak with the highest-ranking Venezuelan government official currently in the country.
Socialist International Head Calls for Lopez’s Release
Luis Arroyo, the president of the Socialist International, qualified Leopoldo Lopez’s arrest as “illegal and arbitrary”. Lopez has been in prison since February 18 of this year pending the conclusion of his trial.
Part of the communique released by organization can be read below:
Lopez’s incarceration should be considered illegal and arbitrary due to the continued irregularities and delays that have marked the judicial process; the permanent denial of his requests for provisional release, which ignores the principle of the presumption of innocence; the violations to his human rights during the ten months during which he has been held, illicit punishments, isolation, obstruction his private communication with his lawyers and his visitors; and specially, due to the political nature of the charges against him…
On November 15, Socialist International representatives attempted to access Lopez in the Ramo Verde military prison, but were prevented to do so by Venezuelan authorities. At the time, the organization regretted the government’s decision to block access to Lopez.
Finally, a video in which Maduro attempts to address the Ferguson protests in the United States, but confuses the victim in the case – Michael Brown – with R&B and hip-hop sensation Chris Brown:
… maybe what’s been happening recently in Fergunson [sic] with Chris Brown or with this young man, Gardner [sic], who was strangled [by the NYPD] – you’ve seen the videos…
In Venezuela 