Chile condemns the arrest warrant against Edmundo González

The Chilean government rejected the Arrest warrant issued this Monday against opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutiawho was a candidate in the last presidential elections in Venezuela, in which the National Electoral Council announced Nicolás Maduro as the winner with 51.2% of the votes, a result rejected by the majority opposition and a large part of the international community.

In a brief statementThe Chilean Ministry of Foreign Affairs also reiterated its condemnation of “any form of repression against opponents of the dictatorial regime in Venezuela.”

The Executive, headed by leftist Gabriel Boric, also called for “respect for democratic principles, as well as human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Venezuelans.”

Arrest warrant against Edmundo Gonzalez

The Public Prosecutor’s Office has requested a court with jurisdiction over terrorism to issue an arrest warrant against González Urrutia for alleged crimes related to the elections, including “disobedience of laws”, “conspiracy”, “usurpation of functions” and “sabotage”.

González Urrutia, 75 years old, was summoned to testify before the Prosecutor’s Office on three occasions. He did not attend, although the third summons coincided with a power outage throughout the country on Friday, August 30.

The diplomat, who has been in hiding since July 30, argued that the Public Prosecutor’s Office was acting as a “political accuser” who would subject him to a trial “without guarantees of independence and due process.”

The subpoenas targeted the website where the opposition posted copies of more than 80% of the voting records, which it claims prove González Urrutia’s victory on July 28 and Maduro’s fraud.