New York – Rep. Eliot L. Engel, the ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, released the following statement regarding the recent crackdown against demonstrators in Venezuela.

“I am deeply concerned about the crackdown against demonstrators in Venezuela and am particularly shocked by the arrest of opposition leader Leopoldo Lopez. I join the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in calling upon the Venezuelan government to protect the human and civil rights of its people. I also call upon all OAS member states to demand that Caracas end its assault on democracy and comply strictly with the Inter American Charter on Human Rights.”

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