Two of Nicolas Maduro’s oldest allies have raised eyebrows on the sidelines of the annual gathering of the United Nations by hosting a pro-democracy event.
Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez initially conceived of the event to highlight the threats posed by the far-right.
But the Venezuelan leader’s brutal crackdown on opponents following his self-declared victory in a July election has, instead, shifted attention to their policies toward the beleaguered South American nation — and generated criticism that they have enabled the regime.
