Venezuela said on Wednesday it was quitting the Organisation of American States in anger at pressure from the bloc over the government's handling of the country's political crisis.

"Tomorrow we will present a letter of complaint to the OAS and we will begin a process that will take 24 months" to pull Venezuela out of the Washington-based regional diplomatic grouping, Delcy Rodriguez, the foreign minister, said in a televised address.</s>Venezuela has said it will withdraw from the Organization of American States in reaction to pressure from the bloc over the government's handling of the country's political crisis.

Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said the government would launch a two-year process to pull out of the Washington-based regional diplomatic grouping that it has been a member of for more than 65 years.



"Tomorrow, as President Nicolas Maduro has instructed, we will present a letter of complaint to the OAS and we will begin a process that will take 24 months," she said in a televised address on Wednesday.

Rodriguez said Maduro's administration has been forced to counter what it sees as an attempt by the OAS and conservative regional governments to topple Maduro.

The decision came a short while after envoys to the OAS approved a resolution convening a special meeting of regional foreign ministers to discuss Venezuela's crisis.

OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro has previously branded Maduro, an elected socialist, a "dictator" for stifling the opposition.

READ MORE: Venezuela's crisis, explained

The opposition, demanding that Maduro call early elections, have staged daily rallies for weeks.

So far this month, at least 28 people have been killed in political unrest. Several of them have been shot in anti-government protests that have erupted into clashes with riot police.

Protesters returned to the streets for another day of protests on Wednesday. Riot police fired tear gas as thousands tried to march to downtown Caracas.

The country is in the middle of a crippling economic crisis that has led to high food prices and a lack of basic goods.

Maduro says the economic crisis is due to a US-backed capitalist conspiracy.

Rodriguez branded the OAS an "interventionist coalition" led by Washington.



"Venezuela will not take part in future in any activity or event where there is an intention to take a position of interventionism or interference," she said.</s>(CARACAS, Venezuela) — Venezuela's government announced Wednesday it will go ahead with its threatened withdrawal from the Organization of American States, the regional body whose leader has been one of the fiercest critics of embattled socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

The move came on the same day as fierce confrontations in the capital between security forces and anti-government protesters who staged yet another march amid political unrest that has been blamed for 29 deaths in recent weeks. Clashes were also reported in other Venezuelan cities.

Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez called for the OAS withdrawal after a brief but contentious meeting at the group's Washington headquarters in which its permanent council voted in favor of holding a special session to evaluate Venezuela's crisis, adding to mounting international pressure for Maduro to schedule delayed elections and free detained political activists.

Rodriguez said the OAS's action was taken to "intervene and take custody of our country, something that fortunately will never happen."

Tension has been steadily rising between Venezuela and a group of OAS members that includes the United States since OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro issued a 75-page report in March accusing Maduro's government of systematically violating human rights and standards of democracy. Almagro unsuccessfully urged OAS members to suspend Venezuela unless general elections were held soon.

As Venezuela's unrest escalated in recent weeks, Almagro has been outspoken in denouncing the government's response to opposition protests demanding Maduro hold new elections.

"This is an authoritarianism that hides behind the armed forces that, far from acting as the forces of order, act as the forces of repression and terror," he said after the first reported death.

Late Tuesday, Rodriguez had warned that Venezuela would quit the OAS if the body proceeded with scheduling a special session on the crisis here, calling it an infringement on Venezuela's sovereignty. She said the pressure being brought by the U.S. on some members like Haiti to punish Venezuela had been considerable.

Withdrawing from the OAS is a two-year process, but Rodriguez said Venezuela would immediately stop participating. Venezuela is estimated to owe the OAS about $10.5 million in unpaid annual dues. No country has ever withdrawn from the group since its founding in 1948.

The decision drew quick rebuke from opposition leaders. Former congresswoman Maria Corina Macahdo said Maduro's exit from the OAS "formalized Venezuela's outlaw status."

Earlier in the day, thousands of protesters marched on Caracas' main highway seeking to deliver a message to the national ombudsman, whose job is to stand up for citizens' rights but who the opposition has tagged the "defender of the dictator." They were met with plumes of tear gas that sent demonstrators running.

"The repression is very strong," Luis Florido, an opposition lawmaker, said as clouds of the white gas swirled around him.

Read More: Venezuela on the Brink

Opposition leaders said one protester, Juan Pablo Pernalete Llover, 20, died after being struck by a canister of tear gas. He was a student in political accounting at Metropolitan University, which issued a statement saying the institution was mourning the "early and unjust departure of this talented young Venezuelan, who gave his life in exchange for the highest values of democracy."

Ramon Muchacho, a Caracas-area mayor, said at least 22 others were injured in Wednesday's protests, including 14 with traumatic wounds. Elsewhere, children were evacuated from a school after being exposed to tear gas. In the evening, government officials reported two national guardsmen were wounded by gunshots in the same part of Caracas where Pernalete Llover was killed earlier.

In all, 29 people have been killed, more than 400 injured and nearly 1,300 detained in the monthlong unrest roiling the nation.

Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets demanding Maduro hold elections and denouncing his government as being responsible for triple-digit inflation, food shortages and a rise crime. The protests have frequently ended in violent confrontations with security forces, which have used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds, and there also have been clashes with pro-government groups.

Opposition leaders have blamed armed pro-government militias known as "colectivos" for a number of the deaths, while government officials have accused the opposition of working with criminal gangs to foment unrest.

Read More: Think Politics Are Bad in the U.S.? Welcome to Venezuela

The swell of protests is the most violent seen in Venezuela since two months of anti-government demonstrations in 2014 that resulted in dozens of deaths. Maduro has called for renewed dialogue, but opposition leaders have discarded that as an option after earlier talks collapsed in December.

The tide of unrest shows no signs of diminishing soon, with opposition lawmakers vowing to march Thursday to the site where Pernalete Llover was killed. Leaders from both sides of the political divide are calling for mass gatherings on May Day.

Associated Press writer Fabiola Sanchez reported this story in Caracas and AP writer Christine Armario reported from Bogota, Colombia. AP writer Joshua Goodman in Caracas contributed to this report.</s>CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government is threatening to withdraw from the Organization of American States over what it sees as attempts by foreign governments to meddle in its affairs by taking sides in political unrest that has worsened in recent weeks.

Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez tells state TV that she has been instructed by President Nicolas Maduro to initiate Venezuela’s withdrawal from the Washington-based OAS if the region’s foreign ministers hold a meeting on the crisis without his government’s backing.

Representatives at the OAS are scheduled to meet in Washington on Wednesday to discuss a proposal by 16 countries including Brazil, Mexico and the United States to call a special meeting of the region’s foreign ministers to discuss the situation in Venezuela.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.</s>CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) - The latest on the unrest in Venezuela (all times local):

Venezuela's government is threatening to withdraw from the Organization of American States over what it sees as attempts by foreign governments to meddle in its affairs by taking sides in political unrest that has worsened in recent weeks.

Fire-fighters put out a truck set on fire during anti-government protests in Caracas, Venezuela, Monday, April 24, 2017. Thousands of protesters shut down the capital city's main highway to express their disgust with the socialist administration of President Nicolas Maduro. Protesters in least a dozen other cities also staged sit-ins as the protest movement is entering its fourth week. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)

Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez tells state TV that she has been instructed by President Nicolas Maduro to initiate Venezuela's withdrawal from the Washington-based OAS if the region's foreign ministers hold a meeting on the crisis without his government's backing.

Representatives at the OAS are scheduled to meet in Washington on Wednesday to discuss a proposal by 16 countries including Brazil, Mexico and the United States to call a special meeting of the region's foreign ministers to discuss the situation in Venezuela.</s>“It is evidence of an authoritarian character of the government, especially in the case of the O.A.S., whose pillars are to defend democracy and human rights,” said Félix Arellano, an international relations professor at the Central University of Venezuela. He added that this was the first time a country had pulled out of the organization.

The decision came amid a month of huge protests against Mr. Maduro’s rule that have involved looting and attacks on demonstrators and security forces. At least 26 people have died, according to human rights groups, including a 20-year-old man who the authorities say was killed during a demonstration on Wednesday.

Last year, the O.A.S. invoked its Democratic Charter against Venezuela, citing an “alteration of the constitutional order” there. The move was a rebuke of the country’s ruling leftists, whom the organization accused of stifling opponents, holding political prisoners and ruling by decree.

In the months that followed, Mr. Maduro’s powers increased, and the organization’s demands became louder.

On March 29, Venezuela’s Supreme Court, controlled by loyalists of the president, moved to dissolve the National Assembly and assume lawmaking powers for itself. The ruling was described by the O.A.S. secretary general, Luis Almagro, as “a self-inflicted coup.”

After an international outcry, Mr. Maduro quickly told the Supreme Court to roll back much of the ruling, but legislators say they remain essentially powerless.

On Wednesday, a spokesman for Mr. Almagro — who had warned that Venezuela faced suspension from the organization — said that in order to withdraw, the country would have to wait two years and pay a debt of $8.7 million under O.A.S. rules.

David Smilde, an analyst at the Washington Office on Latin America, said the two-year departure window meant the organization could continue to discuss Venezuela, regardless of whether it was planning to quit. He noted that the rupture came after years in which Venezuela accused the O.A.S. of being a pawn of Washington and tried to undermine it by establishing alternative regional bodies.

“But symbolically, this is important,” Mr. Smilde added, saying it showed that Venezuela’s neighbors were losing patience.

For years, Venezuela was bolstered by friendly leftist governments throughout the region. But now, old stalwarts like Brazil and Argentina are governed by right-of-center leaders, and Cuba, once Venezuela’s closest ally, has opened diplomatic relations with the United States.</s>Venezuela is expected Thursday to formally begin the process of withdrawing from the Organization of American States, the hemispheric cooperation group based in Washington, after the country’s leaders accused the body of interference in domestic affairs.

The decision comes amid monthlong marches, clashes and riots that have left at least 29 dead across Venezuela. Opponents to President Nicolas Maduro are protesting the lack of food, poor security, delays in elections and abortive efforts by his government to strip the opposition-controlled national assembly of its power.

The decision follows a 19-10 vote announced Wednesday by the OAS to convene a special meeting of regional foreign ministers to “consider the situation in Venezuela.” No date has been set for the meeting. The body’s general secretary, Luis Almagro, has been critical of Maduro’s crackdown on protesters in recent weeks, calling it undemocratic.

If Venezuela follows through with its decision to quit the 35-nation group, they would become the first country to drop out of the agency since its founding in 1948.

In a televised statement broadcast over state TV Wednesday night, Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez said the withdrawal had been ordered by Maduro and would take 24 months to complete. In a video statement, she said by approving the special meeting, the OAS was engaging in “interventionist” actions.

Venezuelan authorities and local media also reported that the death toll from a month of nationwide disturbances had risen to 29 late Wednesday. In other news, six prisoners were reported dead and 11 injured in a prison riot between rival gangs at the Puente Ayala prison in eastern Anzoategui state, according to the Associated Press.

Venezuela has been roiled by protests since early April when the Supreme Court ruled that the National Assembly had lost its authority and that its functions would be assumed by Maduro. Although Maduro quickly reversed the decision, his government’s subsequent disqualification of opposition leader Henrique Capriles from running for office until 2032 sparked a new wave of marches.

Protests continued this week when the opposition organized nationwide sit-down demonstrations that sent tens of thousands out to block the nation’s highways, snarling traffic and provoking government responses that included tear gas and rubber bullets fired by police and the National Guard.

In a speech broadcast over state TV Wednesday, Maduro accused the protesters of disturbing the peace and inciting violence. But repressive measures by government forces have drawn rebukes from domestic and international human rights bodies, including Human Rights Watch, whose Americas director, Jose Miguel Vivanco, called the government’s response “hugely irresponsible.”</s>Caracas, Venezuela (CNN) Venezuela will withdraw from the Organization of American States (OAS), according to its foreign minister, who announced the decision on national television.

Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez told VTV state television Wednesday that the beleaguered country, which is facing huge civil unrest, would take the unprecedented step of leaving the pan-American organization over what it sees as attempts by foreign governments to interfere in its affairs by sidelining with the opposition in the latest wave of protests in the country.

"In the OAS, we announced that if these intrusive, arbitrary, illicit, misdirected and rude actions were to persist against the sovereignty of our country, we would immediately proceed to denounce the letter of OAS and to initiate the definite withdrawal of Venezuela form this regional organization," Rodriguez said.

She added that the government will formally announce its withdrawal from the group, and that she expects the process to take two years.

The move comes as Venezuela experiences civil unrest. Protests, which have been ongoing for months, escalated in April and have resulted in dozens of deaths. The unrest stems from dissatisfaction with the government, which has been accused of economic mismanagement resulting in huge shortages of daily essentials like food and medicine.

Venezuela's attorney general said Wednesday that at least 28 people have been killed since the unrest erupted at the beginning of April. This number includes many cases unrelated to the political unrest, including incidents of looting, CNN has found. Of the 28, 13 people were killed in relation to the protests.

Nineteen of the 35 OAS member countries called for a special meeting in Washington Wednesday afternoon on the current situation in Venezuela, a further step on the road toward sanctions.

"OAS Council approves resolution to convene Meeting of Consultation of Foreign Ministers on Situation in Venezuela," OAS posted on their official account. The meeting was approved by a roll-call vote.

Rodriguez, the foreign minister, had threatened a day prior that if this meeting of foreign ministers took place, Venezuela would start the process to withdraw.

The OAS has been debating Venezuela's compliance with the Inter-American Democratic Charter over the past few weeks. The OAS secretary general and key member states had voiced serious concern regarding the humanitarian crisis that Venezuela is facing, with basic food and medical supplies in drastically short supply.

Since then he has overseen a tumultuous time in Venezuela's history, culminating in a January 2016 declaration of a state of "economic emergency."

The country's economic woes are rooted in falling oil prices, plummeting currency rates, power struggles within the government, the looming possibility of default and ongoing food shortages.

Since the beginning of April, massive protests have formed in the capital Caracas and other major cities calling for Maduro's resignation, and for the government to set a date for the delayed state elections.

Maduro has, in turn, sent the country's national guards to protect the streets.

Wednesday was another day of marches as both pro-government and opposition groups took to the streets of Caracas. While the opposition march was blocked by national guard tanks, pro-government groups were able to conclude activities undisturbed.

Alongside the deaths since unrest erupted at the beginning of April, hundreds of people injured and more than a thousand detained.

What is the OAS?

The OAS, in its current form, came into being in 1948 and aims to promote "an order of peace and justice, to promote (member countries') solidarity, to strengthen their collaboration, and to defend their sovereignty, their territorial integrity, and their independence," according to its mission statement.

On Wednesday, its representatives met in Washington and approved the resolution to convene the special meeting to discuss the situation in Venezuela, according to a statement on the OAS website.

In her speech, Rodriguez clarified "that Venezuela will not participate in activities, no events, where there will be intervention from these groups of countries that are only looking to disturb the stability and the peace of our country."

Venezuela is a founding member of the OAS and and this is the first time a state has initiated withdrawal procedures since the organization was founded in 1948.

In her speech, Rodriguez accused Brazil of operating as a "dictatorship," in reference to the ouster of former president Dilma Rousseff, along with mention of Colombia's "internal displaced who have sought refuge in Venezuela due to the violence," Mexico for its ongoing violence related to narco-trafficking, and Argentina, for what she described as serving an invasive agenda in Venezuela.

The opposition has called for an open parliamentary session later this week.

Both pro- and anti-government groups are planning demonstrations May 1, to mark International Workers Day.</s>CARACAS – Venezuela’s government announced Wednesday it will go ahead with its threatened withdrawal from the Organization of American States, the regional body whose leader has been one of the fiercest critics of embattled socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

The move came on the same day as fierce confrontations in the capital between security forces and anti-government protesters who staged yet another march amid political unrest that has been blamed for 29 deaths in recent weeks. Clashes were also reported in other Venezuelan cities.

Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez called for the OAS withdrawal after a brief but contentious meeting at the group’s Washington headquarters in which its permanent council voted in favor of holding a special session to evaluate Venezuela’s crisis, adding to mounting international pressure for Maduro to schedule delayed elections and free detained political activists.

Rodriguez said the OAS’s action was taken to “intervene and take custody of our country, something that fortunately will never happen.”

Tension between a block of OAS members that includes the United States and Venezuela has been steadily rising since Secretary General Luis Almagro issued a 75-page report in March accusing Maduro’s government of systematically violating human rights and standards of democracy enshrined in the Inter-American Democratic Charter, to which Venezuela is a signatory. Almagro unsuccessfully urged OAS members to suspend Venezuela unless general elections were held soon.

Late Tuesday, Rodriguez had warned that Venezuela would quit the OAS if the body proceeded with scheduling a special session on the crisis here, calling it an infringement on Venezuela’s sovereignty. She said the pressure being brought by the US on some members like Haiti to punish Venezuela had been considerable.

Withdrawing from the OAS is a two-year process, but Rodriguez said Venezuela would immediately stop participating. Venezuela is estimated to owe the OAS about $10.5 million in unpaid annual dues. No country has ever withdrawn from the group since its founding in 1948.

Earlier in the day, thousands of protesters marched on Caracas’ main highway seeking to deliver a message to the national ombudsman, whose job is to stand up for citizens’ rights but who the opposition has tagged the “defender of the dictator.” They were met with plumes of tear gas that sent demonstrators running.

“The repression is very strong,” Luis Florido, an opposition lawmaker, said as clouds of the white gas swirled around him.

Opposition leaders said one protester, Juan Pablo Pernalete Llover, 20, died after being struck by a canister of tear gas. In all, 29 people have been killed, more than 400 injured and nearly 1,300 detained in the monthlong unrest roiling the nation.

Hundreds of thousands have taken to the streets demanding Maduro hold elections and denouncing his government as being responsible for triple-digit inflation, food shortages and a rise crime. The protests have frequently ended in violent confrontations with security forces, which have used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds, and there also have been clashes with pro-government groups.

Opposition leaders have blamed armed pro-government militias known as “colectivos” for a number of the deaths, while government officials have accused the opposition of working with criminal gangs to foment unrest.

The swell of protests is the most violent in economically struggling Venezuela since two months of anti-government demonstrations in 2014 that resulted in dozens of deaths. Maduro has called for renewed dialogue, but opposition leaders have discarded that as an option after earlier talks collapsed in December.</s>CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — Venezuela’s government says it will begin withdrawing from the Organization of American States, in reaction to growing international pressure on the socialist-run South American nation.

Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez says President Nicolas Maduro will send a letter Thursday to the Washington-based OAS renouncing its membership in the hemispheric body.

The decision had been expected. It came a short while after envoys to the OAS approved a resolution convening a special meeting of regional foreign ministers to discuss Venezuela’s crisis.

Rodriguez says Maduro’s administration has been forced to counter what it sees as an attempt by the OAS and conservative regional governments to topple Maduro.

Copyright 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
Venezuela says it will withdraw from the Organization of American States after the organization decided to call a meeting without Venezuela.