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Venezuelan General Strike Rallies Claim 2 Lives – Prosecutors

© AP Photo / Fernando LlanoAn anti-government demonstrator aims a slingshot during clashes with security forces along a highway in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, June 19, 2017
An anti-government demonstrator aims a slingshot during clashes with security forces along a highway in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, June 19, 2017 - Sputnik International
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A nationwide strike declared by the Venezuelan opposition ahead of the next week’s legislative vote descended into violence on Thursday, killing at least two young men, prosecutors said.

A demonstrator throws a molotov cocktail during clashes with security forces at a rally against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro's government in Caracas, Venezuela July 10, 2017 - Sputnik International
Protests Leave 1 Dead, 3 Hurt in Venezuela Amid General Strike – Ministry
MEXICO CITY (Sputnik) — A 24-year-old man, identified by the Public Ministry as Ronney Tejera, was lethally shot on the outskirts of Caracas, while 23-year-old Andres Uzcategui died on barricades in the northern Carabobo state.

At least nine others were injured, among them Tejera’s two relatives who were reportedly attacked by a pro-government grassroots militia group.

Alfredo Romero, the executive of a non-profit rights group Penal Forum, said on Twitter 261 people had been arrested during strike action, lauded as successful by opposition leaders.

Freddy Guevara, the vice president of the opposition-controlled General Assembly, claimed 85 percent of the nation had joined the 24-hour strike, which is due to end at 6 a.m. local time on Friday (10:00GMT).

The chief of Venezuela’s Business Integration Council, a major entrepreneurial body, Gerson Hernandez, said however that only 2 percent of companies went on strike. Neither figure could be independently verified.

The strike was announced earlier this week to put pressure on the government of President Nicolas Maduro as it prepares for the July 30 election to the constituent assembly, a new legislative body that opposition fears will replace the Assembly. Maduro says it will rewrite the constitution to iron out differences and restore peace in the country.

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