The United States is deeply disturbed by the Venezuelan government’s decision to move opposition leader Daniel Ceballos from house arrest to prison.
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Ceballos was the mayor of San Cristobal, a city in the state of Tachira near the border with Colombia, when he was arrested in March 2014, accused of inciting a nationwide wave of anti-government protests in which 43 people were killed. However, Ceballos was released and placed on house arrest previous year for medical reasons.
Venezuela is accusing the United States and the country’s political opposition of planning a coup for Thursday, the day that government opponents have called for a march to demand a recall vote against President Nicolas Maduro.
“The evidence compiled will allow us to continue advancing in necessary investigations to prevent, uncover and neutralize any act that aims to destabilize our democratic system”, the Interior Ministry said in a statement.
Media outlets in Venezuela have been under growing government pressure, with the country’s Supreme Court ordering some news websites to abstain from disseminating videos of lynchings in early June and a number of radio stations operating under expired concessions.
Security agents showed up Mr Ceballos’ home at 3am on Saturday and told his wife, Patricia Ceballos, that he was being taken away for a medical exam.
Opposition leaders have accused elections authorities of intentionally stalling the recall vote.
Acute food shortages, inflation exceeding 700 percent, a deep recession and rampant crime have all fuelled calls for a change of government.
Viteri, who arrived in Venezuela on Thursday, had met with opposition leaders in the Venezuelan National Assembly and members of the main opposition coalition.
Caracas foreign affairs chief Delcy Rodriguez said the meeting was attended by a ministerial delegation spanning different areas and added that the two countries are working to “continue strengthening” strategic alliances.
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Human rights groups denounced the action against Ceballos, with Amnesty International calling it a “vile maneuver by the Venezuelan authorities to silence any critics amidst a growing political and economic crisis”.
