Venezuela Opposition Lawmaker Sentenced to Eight Years in Prison for 2018 Drone Attack Against President Nicolás Maduro

An opposition lawmaker in Venezuela, Juan Requesens, was sentenced to eight years in prison after a drone attack he conducted in August 2018 against President Nicolas Maduro.

BBC News reported that Maduro was not hurt in the attack, while Requesens has denied any involvement in the incident.

The opposition lawmakers' families said that he was targeted due to him being outspoken about the Maduro government.

Requesens was a known former student leader who organized anti-government protests in 2014. He was also elected to the National Assembly, wherein he vowed that he would not give up until Maduro was not Venezuela's president anymore.

Requesens' lawyer, Joel Garcia, said his client had been found guilty of conspiracy. However, he did not provide any more details regarding the matter.

2018 Drone Attack Against President Nicolas Maduro

Jorge Rodríguez, the communications minister, said at the time that the attackers had used "several flying devices" and were detonated near where the president was standing.

The New York Times noted that it was launched during an event the government that was meant to commemorate the anniversary of the country's National Guard.

Maduro blamed the right-wing elements in Venezuela and Colombia for the attack, saying that Colombia's Juan Manuel Santos was also responsible.

The Venezuelan president said that all investigations were pointing to Bogota. He added that they have tried to kill him that day.

Maduro also suggested that unidentified Americans were involved in the attack, adding that some arrests have already been made of those responsible.

Colombian government denied the allegations at the time, while a spokesperson for the U.S. State Department said its Caracas embassy issued a security alert. However, the spokesperson did not address Maduro's claims of a plot against him.

In 2016, Maduro was attacked by a mob who chased him down the street banging pots and pans while screaming that they had no food.

Venezuela's President

Maduro worked as a bus driver for Caracas Metro and was part of the transit union. He was also known to have campaigned for Hugo Chavez's release from prison for the 1992 attempted coup to overthrow former President Carlos Andres Perez.

In 2013, he was sworn in as interim president after the death of Chavez, as reported by CNN. His presidency has been plagued with protests driven by economic and social turmoil, with citizens blaming those problems on the government.

In 2018, Maduro had a reelection bid, with the opposition leaders claiming that votes were illegitimate.

In 2019, he was sworn in for his second term, with most democratic nations refusing to acknowledge him as president.

The U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights published a report highly critical of the Maduro administration, noting that there were patterns of violations, directly and indirectly, affecting all human rights.

Maduro noted that the report contains "manipulations and inaccurate data."

In 2021, the International Criminal Court announced its intention to probe whether crimes against humanity were committed during an anti-government protest in 2017, as reported by Al Jazeera.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

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