The Democratic Unitary Platform (PUD) expressed this Thursday its rejection of the sentences imposed against Rafael Tudares, son-in-law of the political leader Edmundo González Urrutia, and Luis Guillermo Istúriz, leader of Vente Venezuela in Miranda state.
The organization described as “unconstitutional and aberrant” the judicial decision that sentenced Tudares to 30 years in prison and Istúriz to 20 years, stating that both are “totally innocent.”
“We strongly condemn the unconstitutional and aberrant decision against Rafael Tudares, son-in-law of the president-elect @EdmundoGUand Luis Guillermo Istúriz, a member of Vente Venezuela in the state of Miranda, who were sentenced to 30 and 20 years in prison, respectively, despite being totally innocent,” the organization expressed through its social networks.
He denounced that “once again, Nicolás Maduro uses the judicial power as an instrument of persecution, imposing sentences through a quick trial that lasted just 48 hours.”
The PUD He reiterated that the Venezuelan people expressed themselves forcefully on July 28, betting on democratic and constitutional change. “Venezuela decided on June 28, with the power of the vote, to embark on the path of change through democratic and constitutional means. We remain firm, together with millions, in the defense of popular sovereignty,” the statement concluded.
Arrest of Tudares and Istúriz
Rafael Tudares, lawyer and son-in-law of Edmundo González Urrutia, was arrested in January in circumstances reported as a “forced disappearance” by the opposition. According to reports, he was intercepted by armed men while taking his children to school.
Tudares was accused of “terrorism, criminal association and conspiracy,” and sentenced to 30 years in prison after a trial that, according to the Unitary Platform, lasted just 48 hours.
Luis Guillermo Istúriz, regional leader of Vente Venezuela – a party led by Maria Corina Machado– received a 20-year sentence on similar charges.
Opposition sectors and human rights organizations have denounced these actions as part of a systematic strategy by Nicolás Maduro’s government to criminalize figures close to the opposition and discourage political participation.
