Venezuela’s Gonzalez says he was forced to sign letter accepting court ruling of Maduro victory By Reuters

CARACAS (Reuters) – Venezuelan opposition leader Edmundo Gonzalez, who ran against President Nicolas Maduro in July’s election, said on Wednesday he was forced to sign a letter accepting a ruling from the country’s highest court that recognized Maduro’s victory.

“Either I sign or I face the consequences,” he said in a statement.

Gonzalez is currently in Spain, where he was granted political asylum earlier this month after an arrest warrant was issued for him in Venezuela.

The National Electoral Council declared Maduro the winner of the July 28 presidential election, sparking accusations of fraud and widespread protests, while the opposition posted online voting results that it said showed Gonzalez had won.

Earlier this week, a UN report said Maduro’s government has escalated its repressive tactics to crush peaceful protests and retain power in the wake of disputed elections in the South American country.

Venezuela’s Supreme Court has approved the country’s highest electoral authority, though officials have not released the vote results showing Maduro’s victory.

Gonzalez said that Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez and her brother Jorge Rodriguez, president of the National Assembly, received him at the Spanish embassy in Caracas and gave him the letter to sign.

“What followed were very tense hours of coercion, blackmail and pressure,” Gonzalez said, adding that he felt he would be more useful free than in prison.

The statement added that “the document issued under duress is completely worthless, due to the lack of written consent.”

In Caracas, Jorge Rodriguez presented a two-page letter signed by Gonzalez saying the 75-year-old former presidential candidate had 24 hours to withdraw his allegations.

“If you don’t deny it in 24 hours, I will release the audio recordings, it’s up to you, Mr. Gonzalez,” Rodriguez said, referring to the meetings he and his sister had with Gonzalez.