CARACAS: A Venezuelan attorney says at least 65 members of the country's military have been detained, including officers and the captain of an important border region unit.
Alonso Medina, with the lawyers' cooperative Foro Penal, yesterday said that some of the officers have been charged with betraying the motherland and instigating rebellion while others are still awaiting a court hearing. Opposition leader Henrique Capriles contends the nation's military is "completely divided" and "profoundly unhappy" with the government.
The detentions come after more than a month of political unrest in which hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets demanding elections.
The protests frequently end with national guardsmen and police launching tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse the protesters. Government leaders deny there is any fissure among the ranks.