Venezuela Opposition Leader Juan Guaido Calls to Rally on Independence Day

Venezuela’s bitterly divided political factions held competing commemorations of the country’s independence day, Friday, July 5, with opposition leader Juan Guaido decrying alleged human rights violations by President Nicolas Maduro’s “dictatorship.”
Guaido, the leader of the opposition-held National Assembly, argues Maduro’s 2018 re-election was a fraud.
While Maduro held a military parade on independence day, Guaido – holding a separate event – called on supporters to march toward the headquarters of the military counterintelligence directorate, where navy captain Rafael Acosta died last month after opposition leaders and family members said he was tortured in custody.
The march is the first major opposition gathering since a botched Guaido-led military uprising on April 30 and follow-up protests on May 1. The government responded to the failed attempt to oust Maduro with a crackdown on Guaido-aligned lawmakers and military members suspected of involvement. (Reuters)