CARACAS, Jan 25, 2024 (BSS/AFP) - Officials in Venezuela said Wednesday 33
soldiers branded "traitors" have been fired for alleged involvement in
"conspiracies" to kill President Nicolas Maduro, whose government is accused
of multiple human rights abuses.

The group, among whom the highest ranked was a general, were all listed by
name in a government statement accusing them of treason.

According to Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino, the 33 are "implicated in
conspiracies to plan criminal and terrorist actions... even contemplating the
assassination of the first national president."

These crimes represent "acts of treason against the fatherland," he added in
a video posted online.

The military is a key supporter of Maduro's government and has repeatedly
reaffirmed its loyalty to him.

Other than military duties, it also controls mining, oil and food
distribution companies, as well as customs and several key ministries.

The opposition and NGOs accuse the military of involvement in networks of
entrenched corruption that have enriched many officers.

On Monday, Maduro loyalist Attorney General Tarek William Saab announced the
arrest of another group of 32 civilians and soldiers after a months-long
investigation into their part in the same alleged US-backed conspiracy to
assassinate Maduro.

More arrests were announced Tuesday, though no number was provided.

- 'Deeply concerned' -

Maduro, who has not confirmed whether he will seek another term in elections
this year, frequently denounces plans to overthrow him, usually pointing the
finger at the same co-conspirators: the United States, the opposition and
Colombian drug traffickers.

He was elected in 2018 for a second, successive term not recognized by dozens
of countries and met with a barrage of sanctions.

These have been significantly eased since the government and opposition
agreed in Barbados last year to hold free and fair elections in 2024 with
observers present.

Opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, however, remains barred from holding
public office despite winning overwhelming support in a primary vote last
October.

The sanctions easing allowed Chevron to resume limited oil extraction as part
of an effort to keep down global prices as the West pressed sanctions on
Russia over the war on Ukraine.

The US State Department said Tuesday it was "deeply concerned" by arrests
without due process, which it said ran against the spirit of the election
pact between Maduro's government and the opposition.

"We call for the end of politically motivated harassment, including attacks
upon opposition campaign offices and all efforts to stifle the democratic
aspirations of the Venezuelan people through fear and intimidation," it said
in a statement.

It urged the announcement of an election date, the reinstatement of all
political candidates, and warned that "actions that run counter to the spirit
and the letter of the Barbados Agreement will have consequences."

But Caracas rejected the criticism, and accused Washington in a statement of
"advocating in favor of the architects of the failed terrorist operations in
Venezuela."

In a report last year, the United Nations Human Rights Committee expressed
concern about the "persecution of dissidents" in Venezuela as well as the
"intimidation, persecution, arbitrary arrest and imprisonment of journalists,
human rights defenders and political activists."