On May 10, the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) ordered the pretrial detention of the First Vice-President of the National Assembly, Edgar Zambrano (Voluntad Popular – opposition), after he was accused of treason and conspiracy in relation to the protests of April 30 and May 1. Opposition officials claim Zambrano’s constitutional rights have been violated. Its believed a further six opposition deputies could follow a similar fate in the coming days. See FAQs: How many deputies have had their parliamentary immunity removed since the constitution of the Constituent National Assembly?

To make Zambrano’s arrest possible, the TSJ requested the Constituent National Assembly strip him of his parliamentary immunity, following which he was detained at the headquarters of the Voluntad Popular party by the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Sebin). Zambrano’s lawyer, Lilia Camejo, denounced the arrest. “From the moment Zambrano was detained, his rights have been violated. We have not been able to access the case file or be appointed to his defense,” Camejo said. For his part, the president of the National Assembly, Juan Guaidó, said the government of Nicolás Maduro seeks to “disintegrate the power [the National Assembly] that represents all Venezuelans, but will not succeed”. See FAQs: What is the difference between the National Assembly and the Constituent National Assembly?