Venezuela President Nicolás Maduro addressed his country on television last night, delivering a direct message to the United States.
“Hands off Venezuela! Donald Trump hands off Venezuela immediately,” Maduro said.
Maduro’s message was in response to US sanctions announced yesterday against Venezuela’s state-owned oil company.
Maduro claims America is trying to overthrow him so it can exploit Venezuela’s oil reserves.
He’s under growing pressure at home to step down because of Venezuela’s failed economy. Anti-government protests in the streets there have become increasingly violent.
Earlier today, KRIS-TV spoke with Corpus Christi resident Maria Quevedo, who fled Venezuela five years ago. She escaped what she called “the dictatorship” of the Maduro government.
Quevedo says there were food shortages, a lack of medicines. and a lot of government repression on journalists like her who spoke out against the government.
“For a lot of people I was like the opposition, they called me,” she said. “I received threats, with e-mails and after that, I was kidnapped.”
Quevedo says she was held for four hours by people that she believes were with the government.
They released her, after warning her to behave herself.
