A former minister of Hugo Chávez condemned the kidnapping of Edgar Zambrano: "He suffers in the same way as leftist deputies in the 70s"

"We condemn the arrest of the Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Edgar Zambrano, who adds to the wave of kidnappings and political persecution against civilians and the military, systematically conducted as a policy of the Maduro government and compounded by events that have not yet been clarified on April 30, "Rafael Ramirez wrote on his website.

AT Ramírez, who headed for 11 years Petróleo de Venezuela (PDVSA), one of the most trusted men of Hugo Chávez and representative of Venezuela before the UN before breaking with Maduro, "Opposition deputies suffer the same outrage as that of the leftist deputies in the 1960s, when Betancourt lifted their parliamentary immunity and was taken prisoner at a half – national congress in Washington. time, followed by more than ten years of armed violence in the country ".

Zambrano was arrested after the lifting of parliamentary immunity by the ruling National Constituent Assembly (ANC), after the military uprising against President Nicolás Maduro's government.

According to his own words, Zambrano and his companions were "surprised by the SEBIN" and, refusing to leave the vehicle in which they were, "used a crane" to "transfer" them "forced" to the headquarters of the 39 intelligence agency.

"Regardless of our political differences and our disagreement with the intention of April 30, we can not stop condemning the violation of due process and political guarantees in the country," added Ramirez.

For the chavista – because Ramírez spoke against Maduro but has always defended Hugo Chávez – the action of the regime is "disproportionate, violating the right to due process and fundamental rights of MP Zambrano".

Ramirez also attacks the National Constituent Assembly "which is only called to raise the hand" and against the Supreme Court of Justice ", which does what Maduro tells him." He also pointed out that Maikel Moreno, president of the Chavista Court, and appointed by the United States as one of Chavez's hierarchies who had negotiated Maduro's departure in recent weeks, "has a lot to explain by report to the attempted coup d'etat of April 30. past. "

The former Chavez leader took the opportunity to denounce the persecution suffered by the dissidents: "Anyone, whether a chavist or an opponent, who opposes the Maduro government or expresses its rejection of it exposes him to risk until murder. "

"You live in the land of fear, despair, with a group of power in the government that closes all possibilities of rectification and finds a political solution to the very serious crisis, the deep abyss where they themselves took our country"he condemned.