Germany rejects Maduro move to get Guaido

The German government on Wednesday condemned a Venezuelan body's decision to strip self-declared President Juan Guaido of immunity from prosecution.

The Constituent Assembly, a body bound to acting President Nicolas Maduro, earlier this week stripped opposition leader Guaido of legal immunity, opening him up to prosecution in loyalist courts.

Read more: Germany declines to recognize Juan Guaido's Berlin emissary

What the German government said:

• "The federal government condemns the withdrawal of Juan Guaido's immunity by the so-called Constituent Assembly."
• "EU states had already declared in 2017 … that they would not recognize resolutions made by the Constituent Assembly."
• "This assembly was set up to oust the democratically-legitimate National Assembly of Venezuela."
• "The (Constituent Assembly) is once again demonstrating it is serving the Maduro regime to undermine the country's democratic forces."

Read more: How millions of 'dirty dollars' were laundered out of Venezuela

'They don't care'

The president of the Constituent Assembly, Diosdado Cabello, accused opposition leader Guaido of inciting a civil war, saying: "They don't care about deaths. They don't have the slightest idea of what the consequences of war are for a country."

Cabello was making reference to a regime claim that aims to discredit the opposition by accusing them of working for the US government, which Maduro claims is orchestrating a conspiracy to oust him.

Guaido rejected moves to remove his immunity to prosecution, saying: "If the regime dares to kidnap me and stage a coup, we will act forcefully. The dictator is only left with brute force."

Read more: '2019 will go down as a year of liberation for Venezuela'

Power struggle

In January, then-opposition lawmaker Guaido declared himself president of Venezuela in a stunning move that undermined Maduro's authority in the country.

The US immediately recognized him as the legitimate president of the oil-rich, cash-strapped country. Shortly after, Germany and other Western countries recognized him. But Maduro's regime continues to enjoy support from Russia, China and Turkey.

Read more: 'Time running out for Nicolas Maduro,' Venezuela's Juan Guaido tells DW

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ls/jm (EFE, dpa)