Tears and condemnation at funeral of Venezuela opposition activist
1,259 views · Published 14 October 2018 · 4:50 · Indexed 22 September 2026
Channel: AP Archive · 2018 · News & Politics
(9 Oct 2018) Questions and condemnation of Venezuela's leadership poured in Tuesday following the suspicious death of opposition activist Fernando Alban, who authorities say evaded justice by throwing himself from the 10th floor of a police building. Alban was buried on Tuesday in Caracas. A large Venezuelan flag was draped over his coffin. Alban was arrested Friday at Caracas' international airport upon arrival from a trip to New York to galvanise world opinion against President Nicolas Maduro's socialist government. The country's chief prosecutor said that Alban killed himself Monday by leaping from the 10th floor of the state police agency's headquarters, where he was being held for alleged involvement in an international plot to kill Maduro using explosive-laden drones. But opposition leaders, backed by several foreign governments, have cast doubt on the official version, and accused Maduro's government of torture and murdering the politician. The US State Department said it condemns what it called a human rights violation, while Spain's leftist government called for consultations the Venezuelan ambassador in Madrid over the death. Meanwhile, the United Nations urged officials in Caracas to launch an impartial probe to resolve the conflicting versions of how Alban died. As international criticism of Maduro's government grew, Alban's family, fellow politicians and family members of other jailed activists paid a final tribute to him Tuesday in a ceremony at the opposition-controlled Congress. A who's who of opposition leaders took turns filing past Alban's casket, draped in the Venezuelan flag, while his grief-stricken sister placed a framed portrait of her deeply religious brother shadowed by an image of Jesus Christ. Hours after his death, a few dozen of Alban's supporters gathered outside the police building yelling "Maduro killer!" contending that he had been murdered. They later assembled outside Caracas' morgue to demand his body be handed over as rumors spread he would be cremated to hide evidence of possible torture. Chief prosecutor Tarek William Saab ordered an investigation into the circumstances surrounding Alban's death, which he classified as a suicide. Find out more about AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/HowWeWork Twitter: https://twitter.com/AP_Archive Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/APArchives Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/APNews/ You can license this story through AP Archive: http://www.aparchive.com/metadata/youtube/9d32edd032e282d4641ab01b2d04092c
