CARACAS, June 4 (Xinhua) -- The Venezuelan Minister of Communications, Ernesto Villegas, confirmed on Sunday the death of Orlando Figuera, 21, who was stabbed and burned during protests on May 20.
"Young Orlando Figuera has just died of a cardiopulmonary arrest, he was stabbed and burned alive by those sick with hate in Altamira on May 20," Villegas wrote on Twitter.
The young man had been treated in the Domingo Luciani hospital since the day of the attack, which took place in Altamira, in eastern Caracas.
Villegas said that 80 percent of Figueras' body was burned to the first or second degree, while he had received stab wounds to the chest, head and mouth.
He also published on Twitter a video of Figuera's mother, Ines Esparragoza, calling on the leaders of the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) to stop this violence.
"Why does Julio Borges allow this? Why does (Henrique) Capriles allow this? Who am I going to blame? The opposition, their vandalism," said Esparragoza.
Julio Borges is the president of the National Assembly and Henrique Capriles is governor of the state of Miranda and a former presidential candidate.
Figuera's death brings to 65 the number of dead in violent protests in Venezuela since the start of April.
The MUD has called for constant protests to fight back against a political and economic crisis that is blamed on Maduro, especially the country is critically short of food and medicine.
More recently, the protests have targeted the government's attempt to write a new Constitution and have called for early presidential elections.
