Venezuela’s opposition National Assembly changed its agenda on Tuesday to hold a mourning ceremony for Venezuelan opposition politician Fernando Alban, the councilor of the Venezuelan municipality of Libertador, who earlier died under strange circumstances, local media reported.
According to the Globovision TV channel, Alban’s body has been delivered to the building of the country’s parliament for a mourning ceremony. Some representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in the country have taken part in the ceremony as well, the broadcaster added.
On Friday, Alban was taken into custody by the Venezuelan security services upon his arrival to Caracas from New York on charges of plotting the assassination of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. On Monday, the Venezuelan authorities said that the arrested politician committed suicide, which was refuted by Venezuelan opposition politicians.
A number of prominent international watchdogs along with the world’s governments called on the Venezuelan authorities to carry out a prompt and credible investigation into the death of the politician, while the Office of United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights pledged to conduct its own probe into the case.
According to the Venezuelan authorities, Maduro faced a failed assassination attempt with use of explosive-carrying drones during his address at a military parade in Caracas on August 4. The president accused opposition forces and Colombia of having organized the attack on him, adding that some of the assassination perpetrators resided in the United States. Both Bogota and Washington denied any involvement in the incident.
