The largest democratic opposition coalition in Venezuela – the Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) – demanded this Monday proof of life of the opposition political activist Eduardo Labrador, regional deputy in the state of Zulia (northwest), arrested ten days ago by the Police of that border region with Colombia.
Through the social network X, the PUD also requested information on the whereabouts of Labrador, who has been declared by the alliance as a victim of disappearance, as well as respect for his rights and the “immediate” release.
“Doing politics is not a crime,” said the PUD on X, where it also shared a photograph of the university professor, arrested on October 18th when he was going to visit his daughter, as many opposition parties denounced at the time.
On the 20th, democratic leader María Corina Machado stated that Labrador was “kidnapped by the regime” – referring to the government of President Nicolás Maduro – and said that the opposition member’s family “has not been able to find out about him or give him the medicines he needs.”
The PUD is demanding proof of life from the regional deputy three days after he reported “the cruel murder” of his collaborator in the state of Apure (southwest Venezuela and also bordering Colombia) Edwin Santos, who, according to his party, Voluntad Popular (VP), had been arrested by agents of the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (SEBIN) on Wednesday.
However, the director of the Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigations Corps (Cicpc), Douglas Rico, denied this information and assured that the leader and co-founder of VP died in a traffic accident.
According to the Human Rights Committee of Vente Venezuela (VV) – the party led by Machado – 161 leaders and activists are detained – the vast majority collaborators of the presidential campaign of the opposition coalition – among them Labrador.
EFE