Venezuela’s Top Prosecutor Under ‘Siege’ by Military

Venezuelan security forces surrounded the country’s chief prosecutor’s office on Saturday, as a newly-inaugurated constitutional assembly voted unanimously to remove her from office. Luisa Ortega, who a day earlier said the assembly was fraudulently elected, tweeted photos of the “siege” outside her office in Caracas, where about 30 members of the national guard had gathered and barred her from entering. The incident comes amid months of violent protests as the pro-government constitutional assembly prepared to convene Saturday. A day earlier, the head of the new government body vowed to take action against President Nicolas Maduro’s opponents. Ortega was a longtime Maduro loyalist up until April, when she criticized the government for what she described as a breakdown of constitutional order. Critics have warned that the newly formed constitutional assembly will pave the way to a full-blown dictatorship, while the government says it will ease tensions in the country.