Miami

University Student Killed in Venezuela Opposition Protest

A university student is dead after being struck by gunfire at a protest in Venezuela, where thousands have been demonstrating against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.

Twenty-year-old Daniel Queliz was killed Monday evening in the central coastal city of Valencia after a friend says he was struck in the neck by gunfire while participating in the protest.

The death is the second to take place at protests that erupted April 1 after the Supreme Court stripped congress of its last vestiges of power. Although the decision was later reversed Venezuelans continue to protest what they see as a government steadily sliding toward authoritarianism.

The crisis in Venezuela was the topic of discussion at the Latin American Summit For Political Marketing and Governance held at Miami-Dade Wolfson Campus Tuesday. Attendees criticized the Maduro administration. 

"The crisis is not only political, but it is a humanitarian. There is no food, no medicines, no nothing," said Venezuelan-American Henry Ettorre. 

Government authorities have been using tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse crowds, methods being criticized by international groups as an excessive use of force.

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