The Tribunal Supremo de Justicia (Supreme Tribunal of Justice, TSJ) announced today that it was prosecuting three more National Assembly deputies for their alleged role in the events of April 30, in addition to the six that it named yesterday. Earlier today, the TSJ named deputies Juan Andres Mejia, Sergio Vergara and Freddy Superlano as having committed several crimes that day, including treason and conspiracy.
The Maduro regime maintains that the events of April 30 were a failed coup d’etat attempt, and appears to be relying on the Supreme Court–which is firmly under the control of regime loyalists–to persecute political enemies.
Today’s news from the Supreme Court came via its Facebook page, on which it published a note announcing its steps.
Guaido Visits Childhood School, Calls for Renewed Hope
Juan Guaido visited his native Vargas state today, where he met with constituents. Guaido also visited his childhood school, much to the surprise of the star-struck students who saw him.
Guaido walked through the streets of the Barrio San Jose in La Guaira:
The short clip below shows joyous supporters greeting Guaido:
Guaido also visited the Los Corales school, where he used to study. Students posed for selfies with Guaido in the background while he greeted people there:
While in La Guaira, Guaido said that “fear will not stop” Venezuelans in their quest for freedom from the Maduro regime. On the regime’s attacks on the opposition and its supporters, Guaido said:
This is the only strategy left for a government that has no answers for its people. Their only option is to generate fear.
Here, where we are right now, there was brutal repression just days ago. We’re here committed [to making clear that] this cannot be allowed to happen. What’s left is to lose fear.
National Assembly VP Arrested
Officers with the Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia Nacional (National Bolivarian Intelligence Service,SEBIN) surrounded the headquarters of the Accion Democratica (AD) opposition party in La Florida, Caracas this evening, and arrested the National Assembly’s vice president.
Edgar Zambrano was in his vehicle in the area when it was surrounded by SEBIN officers. Preliminary information suggests that when Zambrano refused to get out of the vehicle when commanded to do so by the officers, the SEBIN towed the vehicle away with Zambrano in it.
Zambrano tweeted his arrest as it unfolded:
We want to alert the people of Venezuela that at this time 6:35 PM we are surrounded by the SEBIN, we are inside our vehicle at the offices of Accion Democratica in La Florida.
Approximately thirty-seven minutes later, Zambrano tweeted a message which appears to suggest that the SEBIN towed his car with him in it:
We were surprised by the SEBIN, we refused to get out of our vehicle, they used a tow-truck to take us by force to El Helicoide [a SEBIN prison]. We democrats remain standing, fighting.
Some of the operation that resulted in Zambrano’s arrest was also captured on video:
CCTV Footage Captured Moment Soldiers Fired Point-Blank at Civilians
A CCTV camera captured the moment that a National Guard soldier fired point-blank at people inside a clinic waiting room, seriously injuring at least three of them. The event took place on April 30, and the clip was shared by National Assembly deputy Jose Manuel Olivares:
In the video, a group of armed National Guard soldiers enter the Alfa clinic in Maiquetia, presumably looking for someone. As the soldiers leave, one of them turns around and fires his rubber-pellet shotgun twice, point blank, into the crowd of distraught onlookers.
Olivares also shared three pictures from the aftermath of the shooting, showing that at least three people had been injured:
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