The Venezuelan government has taken another decisive step against its opposition with the arrest of two mayors who allegedly supported the protests that have been sweeping the country for weeks.
Daniel Ceballos, the mayor of San Cristobal, one of the epicenter of the anti-government protests, and Enzo Scarano, the mayor of San Diego, were both detained in Caracas on Thursday, according to the local newspaper El Nacional. The two arrests come just one day after Venezuela's ruling party took a first step toward opening a criminal investigation against Maria Corina Machado, one of the most vocal leaders of the opposition.
See also: After a Month of Violence, Protesters in Venezuela Try Peace
The Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) arrested Ceballos in Caracas on Wednesday, where he arrived to attend a meeting of opposition mayors, according to the Associated Press.
"This is an act of justice for a mayor who not only did not meet his obligations as required by law and the constitution, but also facilitated and supported all the irrational violence in San Cristobal," said Interior and Justice Minister Miguel Rodriguez Torres, confirming the arrest.
Ceballos is accused of civil rebellion and conspiracy, El Nacional reports.
Scarano, on the other hand, was sentenced to 10 months and 15 days of prison for disobeying a court order issued on March 12 that asked him to keep protesters from barricading the streets of San Diego.
On Tuesday, ahead of his court date, Scarano defended himself, tweeting that the only crime he ever committed was to restore the order in San Diego without repressing the protesters.
El único "delito" que he cometido es haber restablecido orden en San Diego sin reprimir a manifestantes
— ENZO SCARANO (@ENZOSCARANO) March 18, 2014
Both Scarano and Ceballos are being held in the military prison of Ramo Verde, in the outskirts of Caracas — the same prison where Leopoldo Lopez is held. Lopez, a former mayor, became the most visible face of the protests when he turned himself in after being charged with murder and terrorism for fueling the deadly protests of March 12. Those charges have since been dropped, but he is still accused of arson and conspiracy.
Two other opposition mayors, along with a congressman visited the prison overnight. David Smolansky, the mayor of El Hatillo, and Carlos Ocariz, the mayor of Sucre, pledged to keep fighting to liberate the two mayors and Lopez. They both tweeted the same motto: "If they mess with one, they mess with all of us."
3:46 AM Saliendo de #RamoVerde. Vamos a luchar por la libertad de @daniel_ceballos y @ENZOSCARANO, se meten con uno, se meten con todos!
— David Smolansky (@dsmolansky) March 20, 2014
In the meantime, the number of deaths related to the protests has risen to 31, according to the Venezuelan paper El Universal.
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