After spending the week in low profile, National Assembly deputy Jose Manuel Olivares announced today that he had been forced to flee the country as a result of the Maduro regime’s persecution, which affected not only himself but also members of his family. Olivares said that he was “momentarily joining the voices that fight from outside”, in reference to the growing list of exiled opposition politicians who continue to speak out against the Maduro regime from abroad.
According to a letter penned by Olivares and shared with media outlets, his “wife, newborn son, mother and brother” are all being targeted by the Maduro regime, presumably for Olivares’ work as a leading figure in an ongoing healthcare sector protest.
On Monday, the regime’s political police–the SEBIN–issued an arrest warrant for Olivares’ wife, claiming that she was engaged in illicit activities involving stolen vehicles which she was allegedly accessing through a company. In his letter, Olivares sad that news of the arrest warrant shocked the family, and that they were not “politically, economically or emotionally” read to deal with the allegations.
It is not clear at this time where Olivares is hiding. His full statement can be found here.
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