委内瑞拉总统马杜罗的武装支持者星期三冲击委内瑞拉反对派控制的全国代表大会,袭击全代会代表,将几百名人质扣押在大楼里长达九小时,至少造成12人受伤,其中包括五名全代会代表和工作人员。
全代会主席博尔赫斯把委内瑞拉的局势归咎于总统马杜罗。数月来的政治和经济危机让街头抗议时有发生,而且经常会引发亲政府和反政府两派间的暴力冲突,已经有近100人丧生。
博尔赫斯告诉记者说:“委内瑞拉暴力的名字就叫尼古拉斯·马杜罗。”
早些时候,马杜罗总统的支持者冲击全代会议事厅,占领了那里。人们听到枪响和爆炸声,还看到救护车拉走大约15名伤员,其中一些是全代会代表,他们脸上流着血,浸湿了衬衣。
武装人员后来撤出了全代会大楼,但是把大楼包围起来。委内瑞拉国民警卫队在附近巡逻,但是没有采取行动,驱散枪手,解救大楼里的人质。
包括美国之音记者阿尔加拉在内的人质可以听到枪手在大楼外高喊:“全代会一定会跨台。”
马杜罗的几十名武装支持者冲击全代会大楼时,代表们正在召开特别会议,纪念委内瑞拉独立日。
马杜罗的支持者曾坚决要求全代会代表全体辞职,但阿尔加拉说,他们星期三没有提出要求。全代会主席博尔赫斯告诉美国之音说,全代会代表不会接受枪手的任何要求。
参加委内瑞拉独立日游行的马杜罗总统说,他跟全代会大楼发生的“离奇事件”没有任何关系。
Armed supporters of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro stormed the country’s opposition-held legislature on Wednesday, attacking lawmakers and holding hundreds of people hostage inside the building for nine hours. At least 12 people were injured, including five legislators and workers at the National Assembly.
National Assembly President Julio Borges blamed Maduro for the situation in Venezuela, where months of political and economic crisis have brought street protests that often turn into violence between pro- and anti-government marchers. Nearly 100 people have been killed.
“The violence in Venezuela is named Nicolas Maduro,” Borges told reporters.
The Maduro supporters, who call themselves “colectivos,” burst into the legislative chamber at the beginning of the takeover. Shots were fired and detonations were heard, and ambulances took away about 15 injured people, some of them lawmakers with blood streaming down their faces and soaking their shirts.
The armed gangs left the Legislative Palace later, but kept the building surrounded. National Guardsmen patrolled the area but made no move to remove the gunmen or free those being detained inside.
The hostages, including VOA’s Alvaro Algarra, could hear gunmen outside the National Assembly building chanting, “It’s going to fall. … This assembly is going to fall.”
The National Assembly was meeting in a special session to honor Venezuela’s Independence Day when the dozens of colectivos charged into the chamber.
The colectivos have in the past insisted the entire National Assembly must resign, but they announced no demands on Wednesday, Algarra reported. Assembly President Borges told VOA the lawmakers would not yield to any demands by the gunmen.
President Maduro, marching in a Venezuelan Independence Day parade, said he had nothing to do with what he called the “strange events” at the National Assembly.