Venezuelan Government Deploys Force to Quell Pre-Inauguration Protests Amid Tensions With Opposition

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is mobilizing the state apparatus ahead of his inauguration for another six-year term amid heightened repression and persecution. Opposition leader Edmundo González Urrutia has called on the U.S. to help restore democratic order. At least 19 people, including a press freedom activist, have been detained nationwide, while the government investigates opposition leaders for alleged conspiracy. Tensions are high, with Venezuelans fearing further crackdowns, exacerbated by a military intelligence video symbolizing nighttime raids.