A composer and performer of campaign songs for presidential candidate Edmundo González and opposition leader María Corina Machado was charged by Venezuelan justice with “resisting authority,” two days after being arrested in a Venezuelan border state, the NGO Foro Penal confirmed on Monday.
Wilmer Ramón Álvarez Vargas, known as “Willy Álvarez,” who had emigrated to Colombia, was arrested on July 12 in the state of Táchira, along with two other people, Brayan Hernández and Ricardo Pino.
“It is definitely a case of political persecution. There is no legal basis for the arrest. Composing campaign songs for the opposition is not a crime. It is an act of intimidation,” he told VOA Gonzalo Himiob, director of the NGO Foro Penal.
Himiob reported that for the release of Álvarez and the group to take place, each of them must present two “guarantors.”
On his Instagram account, Álvarez, who had emigrated to Colombia, has shared some of his songs in support of the duo of Machado and Edmundo, who together seek to dethrone Chavismo after 25 years in power.
President Nicolas Maduro, who is seeking a third six-year term, often insists that the opposition is plotting to overthrow him. On Saturday he said the “deeply chavista” armed forces would rise up if the opposition won the election.
What does one of the songs by ‘Wily Álvarez’ say?
“In 25 years we lost all trust, the time of hope has come, there will be no turning back because this is until the end, everyone who thought we were lost will receive shelter, no one else is excluded. María Corina gave us the way out, with Edmundo I will return to my life.”
Balance
The opposition campaign team reported on Sunday that at least nine people had been arrested in the last few hours in four states of the country. Another 14 were already detained by the intelligence services and another six are sheltered in the Argentine embassy in Caracas.
“We are seeing an escalation in repression with the arrest of activists from different political parties, members of our campaign teams at the municipal and even parish level, but also people who have only offered us their services,” Machado told reporters after participating in a meeting with young people from the Central University of Venezuela.
Among those arrested is the owner of a truck that served as a platform for a rally by González and Machado in Valencia (north-central Venezuela) and his aides. Seniat, the Venezuelan tax authority, closed down a sandwich shop in a city neighbouring Caracas, La Victoria, hours after Machado and González stopped to buy lunch on their way back to Caracas.
This is not the first time this has happened. During the campaign, hotels, restaurants and sound providers have been sanctioned for providing services to the opposition leader and her team.
Connect with the Voice of America! Subscribe to our channelsYoutube, WhatsApp and to newsletter. Turn on notifications and follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram.
Add Comment