At least 114 deaths tied to Venezuela crisis, country’s chief prosecutor says
Venezuelans will vote July 30 to elect new assembly members charged with rewriting the nation’s constitution.
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Venezuela’s chief prosecutor is reporting at least 114 deaths in nearly four months of protests against President Nicolas Maduro’s government.
Late Thursday the prosecutor’s office released a list of 109 dead from violence related to demonstrations and street blockades across the country.
The office later reported at least five more deaths via Twitter, including a police officer slain Thursday afternoon in the town of Ejido, in Merida state. The western state has been the scene of violent clashes between protesters and police.
The toll is expected to climb as authorities enforce a ban on protests ahead of a polarizing vote Sunday to begin the rewriting of Venezuela’s constitution.
Protesters say the election of a constitutional assembly will allow Maduro to eliminate democratic checks and balances and install an authoritarian single-party system.
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