Maduro allies press treason charges in Venezuela

Lawmakers loyal to Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro pressed treason charges Thursday against four opposition colleagues for asking the Organization of American States to intervene in the country's spiraling crisis.

By turning to the OAS, the opposition lawmakers "attacked the nation's independence, sovereignty and security," said Socialist lawmaker Carmen Melendez, summarizing the accusations presented to prosecutors.

The charge is punishable by 20 to 30 years of prison in Venezuela.

The four lawmakers from the opposition Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) traveled to Washington last week to meet with OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro and ask him to consider ways the organization could "rescue Venezuelan democracy," said one of them, Luis Florido.

The OAS is a frequent target of attacks from Maduro, who has accused the regional organization of being a lackey of American imperialism.

Oil-dependent Venezuela has descended ever deeper into economic turmoil as global crude prices have collapsed, triggering food shortages, rampant inflation and now an electricity crisis.

The center-right opposition, which won control of the legislature in elections last December, is seeking to organize a recall referendum to force Maduro from office.