PSD/M deputies Paulo Neves, in the National Assembly of Portugal, and Carlos Fernandes, elected to the Regional Legislative Assembly, met former Venezuelan political prisoner Jesús Armas to discuss the political and social situation in Venezuela and the ongoing transition process.
The talks covered developments at the negotiating table between the National Assembly elected in 2015 and the current Venezuelan government, as well as the situation of political prisoners. Armas, who says he was held for 14 months and subjected to torture, shared his personal account.
The Social Democrats expressed particular concern for detained Luso-Venezuelan citizens, including businessman Fernando Venâncio and Colonel Juan Francisco Rodríguez dos Ramos, and pledged to defend the safety and rights of the Portuguese community, estimated at more than 400,000 people, mostly of Madeiran origin.