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Over 20 police officers injured in Venezuela on day of Constitutional Assembly elections

Minister for Interior, Justice and Peace Nestor Reverol noted that these incidents have nothing to do with the election process

MOSCOW, July 31. /TASS/. The Venezuelan authorities have begun investigating attacks on police officers that occurred on the day of elections to the country’s Constitutional Assembly, Nestor Reverol, Minister for Interior, Justice and Peace, said on Sunday, adding that more than 20 law enforcers have been injured.

"We counted 21 officers who sustained injuries, including by firearms," Union Radio’s website quotes the minister as saying. He noted that these incidents have nothing to do with the election process. According to the opposition, at least 16 people were killed during anti-government protests on Saturday and Saturday. Human rights activists said 96 people were arrested on July 30 alone.

In early May, President Nicolas Maduro decided to convene the Constitutional Assembly without holding a preliminary referendum. That led to the aggravation of the situation in the country, which at that time was rocked by large-scale anti-government protests. They were accompanied by clashes with law enforcers, riots and loss of lives.

To date, more than 120 people have died and thousands have been injured during the protests staged by the opposition. The authorities arrested about 4,900 protesters, nearly 1,400 of them remain in custody.