"They want to fill our country with hate, to push our country into violence", Maduro said today. Bolivian President Evo Morales agrees with his counterpart that the anti-government protests in Venezuela are "a coup d'etat, driven by the right". The Organization of American States (OAS) convenes April 26 to discuss whether to call an emergency meeting of hemispheric foreign ministers to address the Venezuelan crisis.
Almost 30 people have been killed since the wave of protests against President Nicolas Maduro began last month.
Venezuelan opposition leader Freddy Guevara called on supporters to continue anti-government demonstrations on Wednesday, despite ongoing protest violence claiming the lives of up to 27 people.
Mobilization by Venezuela's opposition has shown no sign of weakening.
The mass of demonstrators paraded through downtown Caracas in an attempt to deliver a message to the national ombudsman, whose job is to stand up for citizens' rights.
The announcement raised global tension over Venezuela, where unrest has left 28 people dead this month.
In an unusual move, Ortega Diaz broke with the government in the immediate days after the decision to denounce it as a "rupture" of the constitutional order. The decision was later partially reversed amid a storm of worldwide criticism - and from Ortega Diaz herself.
The opposition accuses the government of using the security forces to repress peaceful protests, and of sending armed thugs to attack them.
"I want to express my firmest rejection to violence as an arm of political action".
Senators describe 'long and detailed' White House briefing on North Korea
All 100 senators were invited to a classified briefing at a building next to the White House on Wednesday (US time), reports AFP. It was unclear Monday how many senators plan to attend the briefing.
"We will keep doing this every day", said 20-year-old student Andres Gonzalez, who wore a gas mask and a helmet.
Violent protests against the government continued in the capital Caracas on Wednesday, with one protester killed.
At least 26 people have died in a wave of unrest driven by calls for the leftist government to relinquish its grip on power, hold elections and free political activists.
On Wednesday, Ms Rodriguez said the protests were part of an organised effort to defeat Venezuela's Bolivarian Revolution.
OAS Secretary-General Luis Almagro, who has repeatedly attacked the government of Venezuela, calling for the Democratic Charter to be applied against the country that would lead to its suspension from the organization, has attracted criticism over the past year for his fixation on Venezuela.
But shortly after, Venezuela announced it was withdrawing from the OAS, while slamming the regional stability bloc for what it said was a campaign to trample on the country's sovereignty.
The foreign ministry and President Nicolas Maduro will forward a letter to the OAS on Thursday stating that "Venezuela will not participate in any activities that promote interventionism", Rodriguez said, adding that the exit process will take 24 months.
More than 15 years of diplomatic tensions between Caracas and Washington have done little to disrupt the flow of oil and fuel toward US shores.
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