委内瑞拉驻联合国高级外交官辞职，抗议马杜罗总统的政策

A senior Venezuelan diplomat at the United Nations says he has resigned, citing systematic persecution of civilians, “state terrorism'' and violations of the constitution by President Nicolas Maduro's government.

Speaking to the Associated Press news agency Thursday night, Isaias Medina said Venezuela “is a failed state,” adding that “this is a fugitive government and a complete dictatorship ... Maduro does not have the right to be in that office.''

Medina, an international lawyer specializing in environmental issues, who was a minister counselor at Venezuela's UN Mission, called on Maduro to “leave the office so that a new government can take place and do their job.''

Venezuela's U.N. Ambassador says Medina was fired for acting dishonestly.

In cities across Venezuela Thursday tree limbs, wires, trash and furniture were transformed into roadblocks as Venezuelans heeded the opposition call to strike against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

Protesters clashed with police in some areas. Groups of masked young men set fire to a handful of blockades and hurled stones at riot police, who fired back tear gas.

A 24-year-old man was killed and three people were wounded after violence broke out during a demonstration on the outskirts of Caracas, according to prosecutors.

Opposition demonstrators also set a police booth on fire. There were several arrests.

Stones were also thrown at the headquarters of VTV state television.

In Caracas, astride a motorcycle wearing a black helmet, Luis Carmona told VOA he was not going to be swayed by Maduro's overtures.

"What we have here is hunger," he said, "and they (the government) think they are going to buy us off with that little bag of food? No sir. We are going to keep in the street every day."

The 24-hour strike was meant as an expression of national disapproval of Maduro's plan to convene a constitutional assembly that would reshape the Venezuelan political system to consolidate the ruling party's power over the few institutions that remain outside its control. The opposition is boycotting a July 30 election to select members of the assembly.

Maduro said on national television that he'll press ahead with plans to rewrite the nation's constitution and said that hundreds of Venezuela's largest companies are functioning "at 100 percent'' despite the strike. The claim could not be immediately confirmed.

Violence during four months of anti-government unrest has taken about 100 lives, injured thousands, left hundreds in jail and further damaged an economy in its fourth year of a debilitating decline.

After the strike ends early Friday, the opposition-led parliament plans to name eight Supreme Court justices to replace the eight sanctioned by the United States for their role in trying to strip the National Assembly of its powers. It is unlikely the Maduro government will recognize the new justices.

But the opposition has also called on Venezuelans to take to the streets Saturday in a show of support for the new justices.

委内瑞拉驻联合国的一位资深外交官说，鉴于委内瑞拉对平民的系统性迫害，从事“国家恐怖主义”，以及马杜罗政府的违宪行为，他已经辞去职务。

伊萨亚斯·梅迪纳星期四晚上告诉美联社说，委内瑞拉是“一个失败的国家”。他补充说：“这是一个彻头彻尾的独裁政权，马杜罗没有权利担任总统。”

梅迪纳是一位环境问题国际律师，是委内瑞拉驻联合国使团的公使兼参赞。他呼吁马杜罗“辞去总统职务，给新政府腾出位子，做政府应该做的事情。”

委内瑞拉驻联合国大使说，梅迪纳是因为行为不端被开除的。

委内瑞拉人响应反对派号召举行大罢工，抗议马杜罗政府。用树枝、铁丝、垃圾和家具堆砌成的路障星期四拂晓出现在委内瑞拉各大城市的街道上。

抗议者和警察在某些地区发生了冲突。一群群戴着面具的年轻男子对几处路障放火，并向防暴警察投掷石块，防暴警察用催泪弹回击。

检察部门的官员说，首都加拉加斯郊外发生的示威游行引起暴力冲突，造成一名24岁男子丧生，另外三人受伤。

反对派抗议者还放火焚烧一个警察哨所，有几人被捕。

抗议者还向VTV国家电视台总部投掷石块。

在加拉加斯，戴着黑色头盔，跨在摩托车上的卡尔莫那告诉美国之音说，马杜罗做出的姿态改变不了他的看法。

他说：”我们现在饭都吃不饱。政府以为给我们点食物就能收买我们，没门。我们每天都会上街抗议。“

这次24小时的罢工行动是为了表达举国上下对马杜罗计划召集宪法大会的不满。这次宪法大会将重新塑造委内瑞拉的政治体系，加强执政党对唯一一些尚不在其控制之下的机构的权力。反对派抵制的就是7月30日对大会成员的选举。

马杜罗在全国电视上说，他坚持按原计划修改宪法，并表示，罢工丝毫没有影响到委内瑞拉数百家最大公司的运营。这种说法无法立即得到证实。

四个月来的反政府抗议示威已经造成约100人丧生，数千人受伤，几百人入狱，并使四年来一直下滑的委内瑞拉经济再受重创。

星期五早上的罢工结束后，反对派领导的议会计划提名八位最高法院大法官，替代因试图剥夺全代会权力而受到美国制裁的大法官。估计马杜罗政府不会承认这些新任命的法官。

反对派呼吁委内瑞拉人星期六上街游行，以示对新法官的支持。