In an unprecedented show of internationalist solidarity, dozens of progressive social movements and political parties issued a joint declaration demanding the immediate release of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores. The document stresses that the attack is not only against President Maduro as an individual, but against the autonomy of Venezuelan workers and popular sovereignty. The coalition of progressive forces also urged parliaments around the world to cut any military and security cooperation with the aggressors. Using the hashtags “Hands Off Venezuela” and “Free Maduro,” the progressive movements have launched social media campaigns to expose imperial strategies aimed at seizing the Bolivarian nation’s strategic wealth. #FromTheSouth News Bits | Russia insists on the release of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, who were arbitrarily kidnapped by United States forces on January 3rd.