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OAS Secretary General Expresses Alarm over Detention of Mayor of Caracas

  February 20, 2015

The Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), José Miguel Insulza, said today that “the detention of the Mayor of Caracas, Antonio Ledezma, has caused alarm due to the way in which it took place and because it deals with an elected leader exercising his duties.”

Secretary General Insulza reiterated his call to “stop those acts that lead to a spiral of polarization that envelops Venezuelan society and makes it impossible to reach agreements that bring together the will of all sectors.”

In this context, Secretary General Insulza urged all sides “to begin to build a space for democratic dialogue, which is still possible, and which would give this year´s parliamentary elections the character of democratic definition that Venezuela needs.”

The leader of the hemispheric Organization signaled “the need to clarify the allegations of attempts to break with democratic institutions and to respect guarantees of due process.” In that sense, he said “no one could oppose the holding of trials that the authorities deem necessary, but that, given the political character of the case, the accused face their process in freedom.”

For more information, please visit the OAS Website at www.oas.org.

Reference: E-050/15