13 MLB Players Denounce Repression And Deaths In Their Native Venezuela

LTIMA HORA | VIDEO- Jugadores venezolanos de las Grandes Ligas alzan su voz contra la represin en Venezuela #8May pic.twitter.com/jDFh2WLENS Alberto Rodrguez (@AlbertoRT51) May 8, 2017 Thirteen Major League Baseball players added their voices to the chorus of Venezuelans abroad denouncing repression in their country.The groupis featured in a video posted Monday by Miami-based Venezuelan journalist Alberto Rodrguez on Twitter. The video, which identifies the athletes by name and team, currently has over 11,500 retweets.My name is Francisco Cervelli, were a group of Venezuelan players in Major League Baseball, the catcher for the Pittsburgh Pirates says at the beginning of the video in Spanish. Were speaking not as players but as citizens, as people who love their country.Thousands of protesters in Venezuela have taken to the streets for more than a month in opposition of Nicols Maduros government, asking the president to step down and holding signs that say No more dictatorship. The political unrest in the South American country has resulted inat least 37 people being killed since early April, according to Reuters. Hundreds have been injured and arrested as well.For years, citizens in Venezuelahave suffered from a shortage of basic food itemsand medicine under Maduro. In addition, the countrys economy has severely deteriorated.Cervelli was joined in the minute-long video by other MLB players, including Jose Osuna,Elas Daz and Felipe Rivero from the Pittsburgh Pirates; Orlando Arcia, Jess Aguilar and Hernn Prez from the Milwaukee Brewers;Ender Inciarte from the Atlanta Braves;Eugenio Surez and Jos Peraza from the Cincinnati Reds;Alcides Escobar and Salvador Prez from the Kansas City Royals; and Gorkys Hernndez from the San Francisco Giants.Each of the athletes takes turns sending a message in opposition of Maduro and his government.Stop the repression; theyre killing us, theyre taking away our future,Inciarte says in the video in Spanish.Watch the full video above. -- This feed and its contents are the property of The Huffington Post, and use is subject to our terms. It may be used for personal consumption, but may not be distributed on a website.
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