Young Protester Dies, Taking Venezuela Unrest Death Toll to 37

Young Protester Dies, Taking Venezuela Unrest Death Toll to 37
Demonstrators fall on the ground after being hit by a riot police armoured vehicle while clashing with the riot police during a rally against Venezuelan socialist leader Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela. REUTERS/Marco Bello
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CARACAS—A 20-year-old Venezuelan protester died on Friday after being shot in the head, authorities said, taking fatalities from a month of anti-government unrest to at least 37 as the opposition geared up for more demonstrations.

Hecder Lugo was hurt during fighting between demonstrators and security forces in Valencia on Thursday that also injured four others, the local opposition mayor Enzo Scarano said in a series of tweets.

The state prosecutor’s office, which keeps an official count of deaths since protests began against socialist President Nicolas Maduro in early April, confirmed he died after being shot in a protest.

Another 717 people have been injured and 152 are still in jail from the hundreds rounded up in widespread unrest around the volatile South American OPEC nation of 30 million people, according to the office’s latest tally.

There has been violence and widespread looting this week in Valencia, a once-bustling industrial hub two hours from the capital by road.

Venezuela’s opposition, which now enjoys majority support after being in the shadow of the ruling Socialist party since Hugo Chavez’s 1998 election win, says his successor Maduro has become a dictator and wrecked the economy.

Vowing to stay in the streets for as long as necessary, opposition leaders announced nationwide women’s marches for Saturday with the biggest planned for the capital Caracas.

Opposition lawmakers briefly unfurled a banner on Friday at the National Assembly, where they won a majority in 2015 thanks to voter ire over the recession, saying “Maduro Dictator”.

Volunteers, members of a primary care response team, walk together as demonstrators clash with police during a rally against Venezuela's socialist leader Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela. (REUTERS/Marco Bello)
Volunteers, members of a primary care response team, walk together as demonstrators clash with police during a rally against Venezuela's socialist leader Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, Venezuela. REUTERS/Marco Bello