CNN reported on Monday that Henrique Capriles, governor of Venezuela’s state of Miranda and two-time presidential candidate who narrowly lost last April’s election to Nicolás Maduro, has refused Maduro’s offer to meet at the Miraflores presidential palace unless opposition leader Leopoldo López -- who remains in detention in Caracas as he waits to face charges of arson and conspiracy -- is released. “In a situation of human-rights violations and repression like this, we can’t go to Miraflores,” Capriles told reporters at a press conference.
“I’m not going to be the guy who cleans the face of Nicolás Maduro at the Palacio Blanco. That’s what they want today: for me to go, for us to shake hands as if the country were in a state of absolute normality, as if nothing were going on … Nicolás, you are not going to use me,” said Capriles, according to El Universal. The Miranda governor brought what he called an “extraofficial” report which he said provided evidence that the numbers of those detained in connection with opposition-led demonstrations was much higher than the government’s tally.
“The extraofficial information that we have is of 649 people detained across the country, of which 376 were freed, 242 remain detained, 19 deprived of liberty, six under house arrest, five await bail and one is going to be deported,” he said. In comparison, AFP wrote on Monday that in addition to the 14 who have died in connection with the protests thus far, 45 people are currently detained -- including nine members of public security forces -- a number which matches the government’s official figures.
Bloomberg notes that in the wake of Capriles’ refusal, Maduro called on Tuesday for governors and mayors to join him at a “peace conference” at the presidential palace along with lawmakers, students, and other opposition leaders to sign an agreement condemning violence.
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