TEHRAN, Apr 02 - Venezuela's chief justice on Monday asked lawmakers to strip opposition leader Juan Guaido of immunity, taking a step toward prosecuting him for alleged crimes as he seeks to oust President Nicolas Maduro.
TEHRAN, Young Journalists Club (YJC) - Supreme Court Justice Maikel Moreno said Guaido should be prosecuted for violating a ban on leaving the country when he went on a tour of Latin American nations that back a change in Venezuela's government. The opposition leader is also accused of inciting violence linked to street protests and receiving illicit funds from abroad.
It's unclear when the pro-Maduro National Constituent Assembly will consider whether to remove Guaido's immunity from prosecution as head of the National Assembly.
Guaido dismissed the Maduro-stacked high court and Constituent Assembly as illegitimate and continued his calls for Maduro to step down.
"We must unite now more than ever," said Guaido at a Caracas university earlier Monday. "We must mount the biggest demonstration so far to reject what's happening."
Venezuelan security forces have detained Guaido's chief of staff, but had yet to move directly against the opposition leader, whose claim to be interim president is backed by dozens of countries that say Maduro's re-election last year was rigged.
Since a massive power failure struck March 7, the nation has experienced near-daily blackouts and a breakdown in critical services such as running water and public transportation. Classes have been suspended for nearly a week.
At the same time, frustssrated residents are increasingly unable to find water, make phone calls or access the internet. Millions of Venezuelans struggle to understand an announcement by Maduro a day earlier that the nation's electricity is being rationed to combat daily blackouts.
Source: AP
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