Protesters’ mass arrests leave Venezuelans in fear

AGENCY :

Edward Ocariz was cooking lunch at his home in a Caracas slum when police stormed in.

“You’re coming with us,” officers said, as angry neighbors screamed, “Damn you!”

Ocariz is one of 2,400 people detained since Nicolas Maduro’s disputed reelection in Venezuela.

Police — with no arrest warrant — whisked Ocariz away a week after the July 28 election that sparked protests across the country, even in some normally pro-government areas. The violence left 27 dead and nearly 200 injured.

Ocariz, 53, who lived in the poor Coche neighborhood on the west side of the capital, had complained previously about government abuses of power.

He was charged with crimes including terrorism and inciting hatred and taken to a maximum security prison.

‘They’re going to pay!’

“It’s unfair,” his sister Sol, 65, told AFP. “I can’t let my brother, who is innocent, be imprisoned. He was a human rights activist. All he did was denounce irregularities.”

Sol showed AFP videos of her brother’s arrest: wearing flip-flops, a T-shirt and shorts, he was handcuffed and roughly taken by four hooded officers.

“They’re taking him away!” someone can be heard saying on the recording. “Damn them! One day they’re going to pay!” neighbors shouted from their balconies.

Maduro has claimed that those arrested had been recruited by the opposition to stir up violence in the South American country.

The protest was quickly put down. On the first day alone, more than 700 people were arrested.

The government urged people to report suspicious activities in what was called “Operation Tun Tun” — the sound of the knock on the door when officers arrive.

More than 2,400 people have been arrested, some on terror charges, and more than 100 of them teenagers.

Dozens of people have gathered outside jails seeking news of their loved ones. Visits are limited and most detainees end up with public defenders.