Venezuelan communities in Rancagua, Curicó, Talca and Santiago held rallies on May 3 to demand the release of political prisoners in Venezuela. Opposition leader María Corina Machado called for actions in over 120 cities worldwide. Comando Con Vzla and Mundo con Vzla organized the protests in Chile.
The rallies in Chile took place around noon Caracas time on Sunday, May 3. In Rancagua, the gathering was at Plaza los Héroes; in Curicó, at Anfiteatro de Alameda Manso; in Talca, at 1 Oriente con Alameda; and in Santiago, at the plaza in front of iglesia los Sacramentinos, Arturo Prat with avenida Santa Isabel.
Venezuelan opposition leader María Corina Machado promoted the simultaneous international day to highlight the human rights crisis in her country. “There are still more than 500 political prisoners; civilians and military behind bars at this hour. They and their families need our voice, they need our strength and that is why we will raise our voice this Sunday, May 3, so that the whole world hears the clamor for freedom, for justice and for democracy,” she emphasized in a message.
In a video, Machado invited compatriots to join and noted that at the rallies “you will find many of the former political prisoners who have been released, their families sharing their stories, their testimonies, their feelings. This force that grows from a people determined to be free.”
Comando Con Vzla stressed that the initiative aims to pressure governments, international organizations and media to ensure the release of political prisoners. The protests demand that the international community not look away from the situation in Venezuela.
