Early Thursday, armed members of Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro’s secret intelligence broke into the homes of government officials connected to the leader of the opposition and self-appointed interim president of Venezuela, Juan Guaido.
Maduro force threatened their lives and those of their family members and brutally kidnapped Roberto Marrero, Guaido’s Chief of Staff.
In an opinion piece, U.S. Vice-President Mike Pence is calling for the immediate release of Roberto Marrero. “We will not tolerate Marrero’s imprisonment or the intimidation of the legitimate government of Venezuela. And those responsible will be held accountable,” writes Pence.
“Maduro must release Marrero now.
“This egregious violation of the rule of law is only the most recent example of Maduro’s brutality and despotism. Last month, the world watched as the dictator danced in Caracas while his henchmen murdered civilians and blocked truckloads of food and medicine destined for the suffering people of Venezuela.
“And just a few weeks before his inauguration, Maduro’s intelligence forces arrested Interim President Guaido in a shameless attempt to bully him into silence. Fortunately, they failed,” reads the opinion article.
