translated from Spanish: Venezuela’s Supreme Court opened trial of three opposition deputies

The Supreme Court of Justice on Monday approved the opening of proceedings to three opposition MPs, raising 18 congressmen prosecuted in the last three months, amid an escalation of the confrontation between the government and the position after Washington’s sanctions on the administration of Nicolás Maduro.The highest court, controlled by the government, issued on its website a judgment in which he stated that he initiated proceedings against Mps José Guerra and Tomás Guanipa for the crimes of “betrayal of the homeland, conspiracy, instigation to insurrection, civil rebellion, concert to commit crimes, usurpation of functions, public instigation”. For more than a month, versions had emerged that Guerra and Guanipa would be prosecuted, which led them to hide and stay out of Venezuela.Shortly after, the Court announced in a statement that it also opened a process to opposition deputy Juan Pablo García Channels for the same crimes. In May, the authorities took a series of actions against a group of congressmen that culminated in the arrest of the Vice-President of the National Assembly, Edgar Zambrano, and the withdrawal of immunity and prosecution of some 14 deputies, six of whom were five escaped from the country and three are sheltered in the embassies of Italy and Mexico.All the entered congressmen were accused by the authorities of supporting the failed 30 April military uprising headed by the opposition leader and head of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, which intensified the dispute between the government and the opposition. Guaidó denounced the eve that the government would consider disbanding the National Assembly and calling in advance parliamentary elections and warned that, if these actions were to be implemented, the opposition would enter a phase of greater conflict than deepen the crisis facing the South American nation. The leader said the Constituent Assembly would convene a session on Monday to “illegally close” congress, majority opponent, “illegally call elections” and “massively pursue deputies,” actions it regarded as a “new madness.” Get ready, do stress yoga,” said The Constituent President, Diosdado Cabello, on Monday, dismissing Guaidó’s denunciation and said on his Twitter account, alluding to the opposition leader, that “Juanito vermin and his band are very distressed, not withstand pressure.” Without specifying the agenda of the session Cabello confirmed that the Constituent will meet on Monday. “Nothing and no one will stop us,” he added. President Donald Trump’s decision to order the freezing of all Venezuelan government assets in the United States and authorize the Treasury Department to sanction any person, company or entity that helps the Maduro administration unleashed new tensions. Following the announcement of the measures, Maduro agreed to withdraw the government delegation from the round of opposition negotiations, promoted by Norway, which was scheduled for the end of last week in Barbados. The leftist ruler also urged the Constituent and the rest of the public authorities to activate a “counter-offensive” to “do justice to the homeland and the traitors.”

Original source in Spanish