Guaidó calls for protests in Venezuela after the death of the soldier detained by the Maduro regime

Caracas, Jul 1 (EFE).- Several opposition political parties and non-governmental organizations announced this Monday that they will protest in the streets on July 5 for the death of Lieutenant Commander Rafael Acosta Arévalo, when he was detained and in the custody of the Government of Nicolás Maduro.

At a press conference, the national coordinator of Youth of Popular Will, Hasler Iglesias, reported that this Friday, July 5, representatives of political parties, relatives of victims and different sectors of civil society are going "to the streets to demand 'no more torture.'"

The leader of Parliament who is recognized as president in charge of more than 50 countries, Juan Guaidó, invited on Twitter a national mobilization "before the Armed Forces, the UN and the international community" in order to "demand an end to torture, murders, human rights violations and the Cuban intervention".

The deputy and activist of Primero Justicia, Yajaira Forero, joined the call for "a great march" this Friday, July 5 to demand "respect for the life and physical integrity of all political prisoners."

According to information from the Venezuelan press, Acosta Arévalo was detained on June 21 by officials of the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (Dgcim), without indicating the reasons for his arrest.

The Maduro Government later said that the lieutenant captain was being investigated for allegedly participating in a coup d'état plan that included the assassination of the main leaders of Chavismo, in power since 1999.

According to his defense and opposition spokesmen, The soldier was tortured until he died this Saturday, June 29, which generated convictions inside and outside Venezuela.

Iglesias, who is active in the same party as Guaidó, maintained that captain Acosta Arévalo ""He was tortured to death, he was also murdered by his comrades-in-arms."

Forero announced that they will demand "that an impartial investigation be opened" under the so-called Istanbul Protocol and with the participation of representatives of the office of the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights.

For this reason, he said that in the march on July 5, the members of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) will be asked to "stop torture" and to fulfill "their constitutional obligation" to defend "the rights of Venezuelans." ".

He regretted that the FANB is not only used to "repress and persecute civilians, young people, and social and political activists," but that it has also become "the repressive, torturing, and murderous arm of other soldiers."

The mobilization, he detailed, will start from the United Nations office in Caracas to the headquarters of the Dgcim, a place where according to Iglesias "today there are officials who give orders to torture and there are officials who unfortunately follow the orders to torture to death." .

Likewise, Iglesias asked the international community to "apply all the mechanisms it has to stop torture" in the Caribbean country.

Regarding the situation of the other six detained in the case of the alleged coup attempt, whose whereabouts have been unknown since June 21, Iglesias said that their families "do not know what conditions they are in" or if "they are being victims of the atrocious torture suffered by Acosta Arévalo".