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Juan Guaidó Calls for Uprising Against Maduro, Says He Has Military Support

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  • Juan Guaidó posted a video on Twitter saying that the Venezuelan military was now backing him and called for citizens and the armed forces to take to the streets.
  • Military forces still aligned with Maduro responded by violently clashing with military members who support Guaidó and anti-government protestors.
  • Leaders in the United States and Brazil have come out in support of Guaidó’s efforts, which he calls “Operation Freedom,” while others like Russia and Bolivia have condemned him.

Guaidó Declares Military Backing

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaidó posted a video on Twitter Tuesday, announcing that he was launching the “final phase” of his plan to oust incumbent president Nicolás Maduro.

Source: @JuanGuaidó

Guaidó delivered the message while he was surrounded by men in military uniforms at an airbase in Caracas. Most significantly, he said that his plan had the support of the military forces.

“The national armed forces have taken the correct decision, and they are counting on the support of the Venezuelan people,” he said in the video.

Guaidó added that soldiers had already taken to the streets and were protecting the constitution. Following the video, Guaidó and the soldiers clashed with other soldiers supporting Maduro who were protesting outside the airbase and who thew tear gas canisters at them.

Guaidó then took to the streets in Caracas, where he and his military escort were joined by protestors. Military forces that still support Maduro were seen violently fighting with members of the armed forces that now support Guaidó and anti-government protestors. Guaidó’s military supporters repelled members of the military still aligned with Maduro with gunfire and teargas.

Protestors were also seen throwing tear gas canisters and Molotov cocktails, and a National Guard vehicle drove into a crowd of protestors, running over demonstrators who were reportedly throwing stones and hitting the vehicles with sticks.

Meanwhile, it was also reported that tons of Venezuelan military defectors rallied at the Simón Bolívar bridge on Venezuela’s border with Columbia to show their solidarity with Guaidó.

Response

Unsurprisingly, Maduro and his loyalists have condemned these efforts.

In defiance, Maduro claimed in a tweet that the military forces were still in his corner.

Source: @NicolásMaduro

Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino referred to Guaidó’s efforts as a “coup movement” in a tweet, arguing it aimed to “fill the country with violence.”

Source: @VladimirPadrino

Other leaders have come out in support of Maduro, like Bolivian president Evo Morales, who labeled the movement a coup. Leaders and government officials in Russia, Cuba, Spain, and Turkey, have also condemned Guaidó’s actions.

On the other side, a number of world leaders have come out in support of Guaidó, especially in the U.S.

Donald Trump wrote in a tweet, “United States stands with the People of Venezuela and their Freedom!”

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo echoed that sentiment, tweeting “The U.S. Government fully supports the Venezuelan people in their quest for freedom and democracy.”

Vice President Mike Pence and National Security Advisor John Bolton also expressed their support on Twitter. Brazil, Peru, Ecuador, and Colombia have joined the U.S. in supporting Guaidó.

This declaration certainly represents Guaidó’s boldest move by far. Currently, it seems like this could be a turning point for Venezuela. Some people who oppose Guaidó are calling his efforts a military coup. Others, including Bolton, argue that if he is the legitimate interim president then he is just rightfully trying to transition to power.

“We recognize Juan Guaidó as the legitimate interim president of Venezuela,” Bolton said in a press briefing, “And just as it’s not a coup when the President of the United States gives an order to the Department of Defense, it is not a coup for Juan Guaido to try and take command of the Venezuelan military.”

What Next?

As the protests continue, the most relevant question is whether or not Guaidó will get enough of the military to support him and turn against Maduro. The reports on this are contradictory.

Earlier this morning, Padrino tweeted that the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela (FANB) still stand with Maduro.

Source: @VladimirPadrino

However, Guaidó seemed to contradict this in a tweet, writing that he was “meeting with the main military units of our Armed Forces.”

Source:@JuanGuaidó
See what others are saying: (CNN) (The Guardian) (The Washington Post)

International

95-Year-Old Woman Dies After Police Tases Her in Nursing Home

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The officer involved was suspended with pay and charged with assault.


A 95-year-old Australian woman whom police tasered in a nursing home last week has reportedly died from her injuries.

Clare Nowland, who had dementia and required a walking frame to stand up and move, was living at the Yallambee Lodge in Cooma in southeastern Australia.

At about 4:15 a.m. on May 17, police and paramedics responded to a report of a woman standing outside her room with a steak knife.

They encountered Nowland, then reportedly tried to negotiate with her for several minutes, but she didn’t drop the knife.

The five-foot-two, 95-pound woman walked toward the two officers “at a slow pace,” police said at a news conference, so one of them tasered her.

She fell to the floor and reportedly suffered a fractured skull and a severe brain bleed, causing her to be hospitalized in critical condition.

Nowland passed away in a hospital surrounded by her family, the New South Wales police confirmed in a statement today.

After a week-long investigation, the police force also said that the senior constable involved would appear in court next week to face charges of recklessly causing grievous bodily harm, assault occasioning actual bodily harm, and common assault.

NSW police procedure states that tasers should not be used against elderly or disabled people absent exceptional circumstances.

Following the incident, community members, activists, and disability rights advocates expressed bewilderment and anger at what they called an unnecessary use of force, and some are now questioning why law enforcement took so long to prosecute the officer involved.

See what others are saying: (Reuters) (The New York Times) (CNN)

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U.K. Police Face Backlash After Arresting Anti-Monarchy Protesters

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan said that some of the arrests “raise questions” and “investigations are ongoing.”


The Public Order Act

A controversial protest crackdown law in the U.K. is facing criticism after dozens of anti-monarchy protesters were arrested during the coronation ceremony in London over the weekend.

The law, dubbed the “Public Order Act” was passed roughly a week ahead of the coronation for King Charles III. It gives police more power to restrict protesters and limits the tactics protesters can use in public spaces. It was condemned by human rights groups upon its passing, and is facing a new round of heat after 52 people were arrested over coronation protests on Saturday.

In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said protesters were arrested for public order offenses, breach of the peace and conspiracy to cause a public nuisance. The group said it gave advance warning that its “tolerance for any disruption, whether through protest or otherwise, will be low and that we would deal robustly with anyone intent on undermining the celebration.”

It is currently unclear how many of those arrested were detained specifically for violating the Public Order Act, however, some of those arrested believe the new law was used against them.

“Make no mistake. There is no longer a right to peaceful protest in the UK,” Graham Smith, the CEO of anti-monarchy group Republic tweeted after getting arrested. “I have been told many times the monarch is there to defend our freedoms. Now our freedoms are under attack in his name.”

An Attempt to “Diminish” Protests

During a BBC Radio interview, Smith also said he believes the dozens of arrests were premeditated. 

“There was nothing that we did do that could possibly justify even being detained and arrested and held,” Smith claimed. 

“The whole thing was a deliberate attempt to disrupt and diminish our protest.”

Yasmine Ahmed, the U.K. Director of Human Rights Watch, also tweeted that the arrests were “disgraceful.”

“These are scenes you’d expect to see in Russia not the UK,” she wrote. 

When asked about the controversy, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters officers should  do “what they think is best” in an apparent show of support for the Metropolitan Police. 

For his part, London Mayor Sadiq Khan said he is looking into the matter.

“Some of the arrests made by police as part of the Coronation event raise questions and whilst investigations are ongoing, I’ve sought urgent clarity from Met leaders on the action taken,” Khan tweeted.

See what others are saying: (The Guardian) (CNN) (The Washington Post)

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Foreign Nationals Make Mad Dash out of Sudan as Conflict Rages

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The conflict’s death toll has surpassed 420, with nearly 4,000 people wounded.


As the 10-day-long power struggle between rival generals tore Sudan apart, foreign governments with citizens in the country scrambled to evacuate them over the weekend.

On Sunday, U.S. special forces landed in the capital Khartoum and carried out nearly 100 American diplomats along with their families and some foreign nationals on helicopters.

An estimated 16,000 Americans, however, remain in the country and U.S. officials said in a statement that a broader evacuation mission would be too dangerous.

Christopher Maier, the assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low-intensity warfare, said in a statement that the Pentagon may assist U.S. citizens find safe routes out of Sudan.

“[The Defense Department] is at present considering actions that may include use of intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capabilities to be able to observe routes and detect threats,” he said.

Germany and France also reportedly pulled around 700 people out of the country.

More countries followed with similar efforts, including the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, Canada, China, Saudi Arabia, Lebanon, and Indonesia.

Yesterday, a convoy carrying some 700 United Nations, NGO, and embassy staff drove to Port Sudan, a popular extraction point now that the airport in Khartoum has closed due to fighting.

Reports of gunmen prowling the capital streets and robbing people trying to escape, as well as looters breaking into abandoned homes and shops, have persuaded most residents to stay indoors.

Heavy gunfire, airstrikes, and artillery shelling have terrorized the city despite several proposed ceasefires.

Over the weekend, the reported death toll topped 420, with nearly 4,000 people injured, though both numbers are likely to be undercounted.

See what others are saying: (The Guardian) (The New York Times) (The Washington Post)

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