Venezuela’s Maduro is rightly blamed for deaths of anti-government protesters

(Photo: RONALDO SCHEMIDT AFP)

Luis Almagro, the head of the 34-country Organization of American States did not mince words when I asked him in an interview last week whether Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro is responsible for the deaths of at least eight people in massive anti-government protests in recent days. You bet he is, Almagro said.

«He has incited violence. His rhetoric has exacerbated the conflict. In that sense, he is responsible for the actions of people who are out of control, the so-called colectivos, armed militias who were armed by the government,» Almagro said. «Therefore, he is responsible not only for the repression, but also for the consequences of the repression, such as people’s deaths.»

He added that Maduro has a «direct responsibility» for the deaths. «You cannot give weapons to civilian groups to carry out repressive actions. You cannot inflame passions with speeches full of hate, confrontation and conflict. So there is a line of responsibility. It’s not only he who pulled the trigger, but he who delivered the weapons, and told [the killers] to crack down on street demonstrations.»

The interview with Almagro took place on Wednesday, as more than a hundred thousand anti-government Venezuelans took to the streets to demand a return to democracy. The Maduro regime recently virtually eliminated all powers of the opposition-controlled Congress, has refused to hold scheduled regional elections, and has banned the country’s top opposition leaders from running for office for up to 15 years.

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