Military troops prevented Venezuelan attorney general and regime critic Luisa Ortega Diaz from entering her Caracas office on Saturday, she told reporters — two days after Diaz said she’d investigate fraud allegations in last weekend’s controversial elections.
More than three dozen troops were standing outside the building Saturday morning, pictures released by her press office show. Images distributed by The Associated Press show a guard apparently barring her and others from moving toward the building.
The government of President Nicolás Maduro didn’t immediately say why the troops were there.
“Employees from attorney general’s office are victims of abuse at the hand of … National Guard officers. They won’t let anyone in or out,” Ortega’s office said on Twitter.
The troops’ appearance comes after the leader of Venezuela’s new National Constituent Assembly — a legislative body elected Sunday at Maduro’s behest with powers to rewrite the constitution — warned that “justice will come” to some members of the opposition.
Earlier Saturday, a human rights commission of the Organization of American States said it was asking the Venezuelan government to guarantee the safety of Ortega and her family, citing what it said were comments by “high-ranking officials” that indicated she may face prosecution.