Security forces violently repressed small protests that broke out in Venezuela's capital Friday after the government-stacked Supreme Court gutted congress of its last vestiges of power, drawing widespread condemnation from foreign governments.
Protests Break Out in Venezuela After Top Court Muzzles Congress
![A woman wears a banner over her mouth with a message that reads in Spanish: "Venezuela lives in a dictatorship" during a protest, in Caracas, March 31, 2017.](https://gdb.voanews.com/1eb36f3c-183c-4b59-9697-c4d6eaaeefae_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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A woman wears a banner over her mouth with a message that reads in Spanish: "Venezuela lives in a dictatorship" during a protest, in Caracas, March 31, 2017.
![Venezuelan opposition activists march along a street of Caracas, March 31, 2017 chanting slogans against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.](https://gdb.voanews.com/31ad121b-23a6-4926-b7aa-88d1a0be296f_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Venezuelan opposition activists march along a street of Caracas, March 31, 2017 chanting slogans against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.
![Venezuelan opposition deputy Rafael Guzman (C), confronts National Guard personnel during a protest in front of the National Attorney's General office building in Caracas, March 31, 2017.](https://gdb.voanews.com/796e790b-207f-4aa7-8b18-a7e4c39ff70f_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Venezuelan opposition deputy Rafael Guzman (C), confronts National Guard personnel during a protest in front of the National Attorney's General office building in Caracas, March 31, 2017.
![Venezuelan opposition activists march along a street of Caracas, March 31, 2017 chanting slogans against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.](https://gdb.voanews.com/12df5b4a-39be-4f63-9259-36363472bb09_w1024_q10_s.jpg)
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Venezuelan opposition activists march along a street of Caracas, March 31, 2017 chanting slogans against the government of President Nicolas Maduro.