The Venezuela’s National Constituent Assembly (ANC) agreed on Thursday, July 5th to investigate opponents to Nicolás Maduro’s government who requested a foreign invasion based on humanitarian reasons. In the next few days the investigative committee will be installed to punish the “traitors to the country”. The investigation was requested after the United States’ president, Donald Trump, revealed a proposal in August 2017 to execute a military intervention in Venezuela.

“Following a humanitarian channel, what comes are mercenary troops (…) It can not be that we continue allowing Venezuelans around the world to speak ill of their country and requesting invasions and bombings,” argued Diosdado Cabello, president of the Assembly. An investigating committee was created, commanded by the ruling constituent assembly member María Alejandra Díaz and integrated by Gladys Requena, Marcos Sosa, Oscar Alvarado, Marelis Pérez Marcano and Gerardo Márquez, all members of the ruling coalition Gran Polo Patriótico. In the event that the committee finds traitors it will accuse them before the local justice system.

Opposition National Assembly, in danger

Several members of the Venezuelan parliament, under opposition control, have made international tours to denounce the Maduro government, which they consider to be a dictatorship and responsible for the acute economic and social crisis. As the opposition has come to ask for a foreign intervention first in the OAS and then in the United States, they are possibly the first people to be investigated by the new Committee.