MOSCOW, January 25. /TASS/. The number of people detained during protests in Venezuela, which started on January 21, has reached 364 people, said Alfredo Romero, Executive Director of the NGO Penal Forum, on Twitter on Friday.
"A total of 364 people were detained during protests from January 21 to 23," Romero tweeted.
Large anti-government rallies organized by the opposition took place in Venezuela on January 23. In some regions they were followed by clashes with security forces, which lead to human deaths. According to non-government organizations, at least 26 protesters were killed.
On January 23, opposition leader Juan Guaido, whose appointment to the post of parliamentary speaker was cancelled by the Supreme Court of Cuba two days earlier, declared himself acting president of Venezuela. Maduro blasted these actions as a coup d’etat organized by Washington and announced that it was severing diplomatic relations with the US. On Thursday, he also declared the decision to close the Venezuelan embassy and all consulates in the US.
The Lima Group countries, except for Mexico, as well as Albania, Georgia, the US and the Organization of American States recognized Guaido as acting head of the republic. Some EU countries supported Venezuela’s parliament and expressed hope for the organization of elections to settle the crisis. Russia, Bolivia, Iran, Cuba, Nicaragua, El Salvador and Turkey supported Maduro. Belarus and China called for solving all the contradictions peacefully and opposed external intervention. The UN secretary general called for dialogue to overcome the crisis.