Venezuelan govt. responsible for death of 73 protesters: UN probe

The United Nations rights office has blamed Venezuelan government forces for at least 73 deaths among protesters since a wave of unrest began in the South American country over four months ago.

Preliminary findings of a probe released by the office on Tuesday said Venezuelan security forces were allegedly responsible for at least 46 deaths while pro-government armed groups were responsible for 27 others since anti-government protests began in April.

The protests began over the government’s inability to recoup financial losses left behind by a global slump in oil prices while the opposition has also accused President Nicolas Maduro of trying to consolidate his power at the expense of the country’s democratic institutions.

Maduro has slammed the violence on the streets, saying the opposition and its backers in the region, mainly the United States, have capitalized on the public discontent to remove him from office.

A total of 125 people have been killed in anti-Maduro protests in Venezuela. The UN probe would not elaborate on who was behind the rest of the deaths.

SS