Nelson Moncada, who had been involved in several high-profile cases, was shot dead in Caracas district where police and protesters clash

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

A Venezuelan judge has been shot and killed as he approached a street barricade in Caracas, in an attack that has prompted fears of growing lawlessness as the country enters its third month of political unrest.

Nelson Moncada, 37, was shot several times and then robbed of his belongings in a Caracas district that has been the frequent site of clashes between anti-government protesters and security forces.

His murder brings to 61 the number of deaths associated with protests that erupted on 1 May. Victims have included supporters on both sides, bystanders and members of the security forces.



Moncada was on his way home late on Wednesday night when he was set upon at one of the many barricades thrown up on the city’s streets.

Venezuela ranks amongst the top three most murderous countries in the world with as many as 91 murders per 100,000 residents, according to local NGOs.



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But it is unclear whether Moncada was the victim of common criminals, or if he was targeted for political reasons.



The murder came amid some of the worst street violence in the city in this wave of unrest. Tens of thousands of anti-government protesters were dispersed by national guardsmen who fired teargas canisters and rubber bullets. Photos widely circulated on social media showed National Guard soldiers firing into the crowd at close range.

Such skirmishes have occurred nearly every day since Nicolás Maduro moved to consolidate his rule in March and often continue after nightfall, with protesters building and setting fire to barricades of debris, fallen trees and even cars and trucks.

The general attorney’s office confirmed Moncada’s death on Twitter, saying that the judge had been killed after trying to avoid a barricade.



One local crime reporter said he was shot while trying to escape a criminal gang that operates in one of the most dangerous slums of Caracas.

Others claimed Moncada was accidentally shot by government supporters seeking to intimidate demonstrators, while government supporters took to social media to blame the opposition for what they called “an act of revenge”.

Defense minister Nestor Reverol suggested on Thursday that Moncada could have been the victim of hitmen hired by the opposition, although he did not offer any evidence to support the theory.



“The victim was intercepted by several subjects who were at a barricade and he was attacked and killed by them (...) but we are not ruling out the possibility that this was a hit job hired by the terrorist right,” he said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Protestors block the highway in Caracas. Photograph: Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

Reverol speculated that Moncada might have been targeted because he was one of several judges who upheld a 14-year prison sentence against opposition leader Leopoldo López, who was convicted on charges of inciting violence during a previous wave of anti-government protests in 2014.

Moncada also served as judge in the controversial case of Bassil Da Costa, a university student who was shot during those protests.

The judge’s death – and the conflicting accounts of his murder – highlight how divided Venezuelan society has become, and how the protests have exacerbated the country’s crime problem.

Reports of petty crime during demonstrations have become increasingly frequent. Protesters have taken to social media to denounce that thieves are infiltrating the marches and using the chaos to rob people of their cellphones and other belongings.

Police have warned that criminals bands are posing as protesters, but security forces have also been photographed robbing demonstrators and members of the press.

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Pro-government militias, known as colectivos, have also been filmed firing on protesters and robbing vehicles.

Last year, demonstrators set a man on fire after accusing him of robbing people in the marches. President Maduro said the lynching was prompted by racial hatred, while government critics say the attack demonstrates the total absence of any rule of law.



Since the protests first exploded in early April, hundreds of people on both bands have been injured, and close to 3,000 detained. Anti-government demonstrators are demanding an electoral calendar and the release of the more than 130 political prisoners. Maduro has called the demonstrators “terrorists” and accused the US of trying to force him from office.

