Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro ordered the arrest of presidential opponent Edmundo González.
The attorney general’s office has requested an arrest warrant for González over his claims that the election was stolen.
According to the document, reviewed by The Epoch Times, González has been accused of “usurping official functions, forging public documents, instigating public disobedience, conspiracy against the state, and sabotage,” the outlet reported.
Assistant Secretary for Western Hemisphere Affairs Brian Nichols condemned the arrest warrant, calling it “unjustified.”
“Rather than recognizing his election loss and preparing for a peaceful transition in Venezuela, Maduro has now ordered the arrest of the democratic leader who defeated him overwhelmingly at the polls,” Nichols wrote on social media. “Edmundo Gonzalez has promoted national reconciliation, and we join the growing list of international partners condemning this unjustified arrest warrant.”
Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado similarly said that the arrest warrant “issued by the regime to threaten President-Elect Edmundo Gonzalez crosses a new line that only strengthens the resolve of our movement.”
“Venezuelans and democracies around the world are more united than ever in our quest for freedom,” she added.
