This article is more than 4 years old

This article is more than 4 years old

Venezuela’s government criticised the US on Friday for linking an activist’s murder to an upcoming election. The government also said it would sue an opposition leader for blaming the ruling Socialist Party.



US condemns murder of opposition politician before Venezuela election Read more

The death of Luís Diaz, a leader of the opposition Democratic Action party in central Guarico state, has rocked Venezuela days before the vote for a new National Assembly, which the Socialists risk losing for the first time in 16 years.

In the emotive aftermath of Diaz’s death, on Wednesday, Democratic Action national head Henry Ramos and a witness to the shooting, Lilian Tintori, wife of jailed opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez, both blamed the ruling party.

But President Nicolás Maduro and other government figures said initial investigations pointed to a local gang dispute. They accused the opposition of exploiting the case to discredit the Socialists in the eyes of the world before the 6 December election.

Democratic Action is part of an opposition coalition that polls show has a strong chance of winning the legislature, which would be a heavy blow to the ruling “Chavismo” movement, named for former leader Hugo Chávez.

Human rights groups were outraged by the shooting dead of Díaz at a public meeting and international condemnation was swift, from South American regional bloc Unasur and the US government.



“Trying to link a murder between criminal gangs with Venezuela’s electoral process shows desperation and bad faith,” Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said of a US statement linking it to other aggression against opposition candidates.

“It is also deplorable that the US State Department supports criminal bands connected with Venezuela’s opposition,” she said on Twitter.

Government election campaign head Jorge Rodríguez, a senior Socialist Party official, said Díaz had been part of a gang linked to extortion, murders and kidnapping in Guarico, and named an alleged rival gang member as his presumed killer.

Opposition leaders have for several weeks denounced hostility against their candidates, including several incidents of shooting in the air during campaign walkabouts.

Rodríguez said he would bring a lawsuit against Democratic Action head Ramos for defamation of the Socialist Party.

“Investigate me for defamation! From 5 January onwards, I am going to investigate you all for the multiple crimes you have committed,” Ramos said in response, referring to the date the new National Assembly starts sitting.