Venezuela opposition president calls on Maduro to end violence – report

Venezuelan opposition presidential candidate Edmundo González Urrutia claimed to have won the country’s disputed July presidential election, launching a challenge to the incumbent head of state on Saturday. Nicolas Madurato end “violence and persecution,” TASR reported, according to Reuters.

Urrutia calls for release of all detained Venezuelans

“On behalf of all Venezuelans, I ask you to put an end to violence and persecution and immediately release all our compatriots who have been arbitrarily detained,” Urrutia said in a video posted on social networks, referring to post-election unrest that has left at least 24 people dead and around 2,200 detained.

On Friday, Maduro ruled out any negotiations with opposition leader Maria Collina. Machado is linked to the outcome of July’s presidential election.

The United States, Brazil, Colombia and Mexico have called on Venezuelan authorities to release detailed election results, and the European Union has announced that it will not recognize the results of the presidential election without publishing a complete and official record of the vote.