Venezuela: Judge killed during protests on May 31 /update 4

Event

On Wednesday, May 31, anti-government protests continued for the 61st consecutive day, which have resulted in at least 61 people being killed and thousands more arrested. The most recent death occurred Wednesday night when a Venezuelan judge, Nelson Moncada, was shot and killed at a street barricade in Caracas' El Paraiso district.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched towards the Foreign Ministry building in Caracas as the Organization of American States (OAS) met in Washington, D.C. to discuss ongoing the crisis. Government security forces responded with teargas and water cannons, with some protesters throwing rocks and Molotov cocktails in response. Protests should be expected to continue until further notice.

The OAS meeting failed to pass either of the draft resolutions, both of which called for an end to the violence but used different wording. Some left-leaning South American governments, such as Nicaragua and Bolivia, oppose any resolution that appears to encroach on Venezuela's sovereignty.

Context

For nearly two months, hundreds of thousands of demonstrators across the country have been denouncing a wide range of grievances and demanding elections through mass protests and marches, some of which have resulted in violent clashes with police and military forces. Venezuela has been devastated by a long series of progressively worsening crises affecting the restive country in recent months and years, including a breakdown of the democratic system, major shortages of gasoline, medications, food, and other basic necessities, an alarming spike in rates of violent crime, massive inflation and economic recession, and a resurgence of disease.

Advice

Individuals in Caracas and other Venezuelan cities are advised to limit movements, to strictly avoid all protests and roadblocks due to the likelihood of violence, and to closely monitor the situation.