Venezuela's controversial new assembly has voted to remove the country's dissident attorney general, Luisa Ortega, after security forces surrounded the entrance to her office in Caracas.

Saturday's dismissal came a day after the government inaugurated the new legislative body that Ortega - a one time loyalist turned vocal government critic - said was fraudulently elected.

The assembly has also ordered her to go on trial for alleged "irregularities" while in office.

Ortega told reporters she was attacked when she attempted to enter her headquarters and accused the government of attempting to hide evidence of wrongdoing.

"You didn't see how they manhandled me, how they attacked me with shields," she said.

Rechazo asedio al @MPvenezolano. Denuncio esta arbitrariedad ante la comunidad nacional e internacional #5Ag pic.twitter.com/un7QWGBGJ7 — Luisa Ortega Díaz (@lortegadiaz) August 5, 2017

"Do you know what they are trying to do? Hide the evidence of corruption and human rights violations in Venezuela. I will continue to denounce them and expose them."

Earlier, she denounced what she called a military "siege" on Twitter, publishing photos showing about 30 national guardsmen in riot gear standing outside her headquarters.

Against this backdrop, foreign ministers from several South American countries declared that Venezuela was indefinitely suspended from the South American trading bloc Mercosur for its "rupture of the democratic order".

The United States and the office of the head of the Organization of American states, Luis Almagro, endorsed the suspension.

Venezuela was temporarily suspended in December.

Foes targeted

In a statement she signed as chief prosecutor, Ortega refused to recognise the Constituent Assembly's decision and vowed to continue defending the rights of Venezuelans from Maduro's "coup" against the constitution "with my last breath".

Assembly delegates, meanwhile, swore in Ombudsman Tarek William Saab to replace her.

Saab was recently sanctioned by the US for failing to protect protesters from abuses in his role as the nation's top human rights official.

Al Jazeera's John Holman, reporting from Caracas, described Ortega as a "thorn" in President Nicolas Maduro's side and said her removal from office was not the end of her troubles.

READ MORE: Venezuela - What is a National Constituent Assembly?

"Now her bank accounts are frozen. She's not allowed to leave the country and she's been charged by the Supreme Court for breach of her public duties," he said.

Ortega had asked a local court to halt the inauguration of the 545-member Constitutional Assembly, citing allegations that the government manipulated the results of the vote that created it.

Her request was dismissed on procedural grounds and it was installed on Friday.

The new body supersedes Venezuela's opposition-controlled National Assembly. It can rewrite the Constitution, rearrange state institutions and allow Maduro to rule by decree.

It said it planned to operate as Venezuela's supreme power for up to two years.

Members of the Constituent Assembly had announced they would fire Ortega and other opponents of Maduro the first chance they got.

Maduro himself said on Friday that "if we had an attorney general here that acted ... all these violent protesters would already be in jail".

After their meeting in Sao Paulo on Saturday, the foreign ministers of Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Brazil urged Maduro to dismantle the Constituent Assembly and immediately start a political transition.

"We are saying: Stop with this! Enough with the deaths, enough with the repression. It is not possible to inflict such torture to the people," Aloysio Ferreira, Brazil's foreign minister, said.

Several countries have condemned the election of the Constituent Assembly, calling it a bid to extend Maduro's rule indefinitely. His supporters say the move will pacify the country.

At least 120 people have died and hundreds more have been jailed in Venezuela's four-month crisis.

The opposition, meanwhile, is struggling to regain its footing in the face of the government's tactics.

In a sign of its apparent demoralised state, only a few hundred demonstrators showed up for a Friday protest against the assembly, one of the smallest turnouts in months. </s> CARACAS, Venezuela (CBSMiami) — Venezuela’s new national constituent assembly voted Saturday to permanently remove Luisa Ortega Diaz from her post as the country’s attorney general.

This was met by roaring applause at what is officially the first session of this assembly, broadcast live on the state-run TV channel.

Ortega Diaz previously had been a staunch supporter of the country’s former President Hugo Chavez and was a pro-regime figure, but in more recent times, she became critical of the current Nicolas Maduro government.

Now outed from her position, she has lost immunity and could be tried or arrested.

The national constituent assembly also declared that Ortega Diaz cannot leave the country and that her assets have been frozen.

“This is a dictatorship,” she said on camera outside the AG office. “The abuse that is being experienced in Venezuela, the repression, not only are they arbitrarily detaining people, they are prosecuting them with military justice.”

The constitutional assembly elections were held in Venezuela on July 30th, under Maduro’s decree, to retool Venezuela’s 1999 constitution.

Opponents say the assembly is packed with Maduro supporters and allows him to eliminate the few remaining checks on his power, creating a Cuba-style system dominated by his socialist party. </s> Image copyright Reuters Image caption The constituent assembly was set up despite fierce criticism at home and abroad

Venezuela's controversial new constituent assembly has overwhelmingly voted in favour of assuming the powers of the opposition-led parliament.

Parliament has rejected the move. President Maduro says the new assembly will end political unrest, but many say it is a slide towards dictatorship.

Meanwhile Colombia says the former chief prosecutor Luisa Ortega Diaz has arrived in the capital Bogota.

Mrs Ortega said she feared for her life after being sacked by the new assembly.

Once a staunch supporter of President Maduro, she had become a strong critic of his socialist government in recent months.

Her whereabouts had been unknown following her dismissal on 5 August.

On Friday Mrs Ortega told a regional conference via videolink that she had evidence that Mr Maduro was embroiled in a corruption scandal involving the Brazilian construction company, Odebrecht.

Odebrecht has admitted paying bribes to win contracts in 12 countries, though no Venezuelans have been named.

The Venezuelan parliament said citizens and the international community would not recognise the constituent assembly's new powers.

The head of the Organization of American States (OAS) Luis Almagro called the move an "illegitimate dissolution" of the elected parliament.

Regional economic bloc Mercosur - which includes the region's two biggest economies Brazil and Argentina - also condemned the move.

Mercosur suspended Venezuela indefinitely earlier this month, urging Mr Maduro to release prisoners and begin a political transition.

Image copyright AFP/Getty Image caption Former chief prosecutor Mrs Ortega has fled to Colombia

The heads of the parliament and the new assembly have been trading insults on social media.

Parliament head Julio Borges accused the new assembly of a "coup" while new assembly head Delcy Rodriguez - a close ally of Mr Maduro - denounced his "lies".

Mr Maduro's wife and son are among the 545 members of the new assembly, which was set up following a controversial election earlier this month.

More than 120 people have been killed in violent protests since April.

The president's opponents want to hold a vote to remove him, blaming his left-wing administration for food shortages and soaring inflation in the oil-rich country.

Media playback is unsupported on your device Media caption Your video guide to the crisis gripping Venezuela

What is the new body - and why is it so controversial?

Constituent assemblies are set up for the specific purpose of drafting or adopting a constitution, and as such can fundamentally change how a country is run.

Venezuela has seen waves of violent protests, and Mr Maduro presented the assembly as a way of promoting "reconciliation and peace".

An ally of Mr Maduro, former foreign minister Delcy Rodriguez, is president of the new body

How widely is it supported?

The election for the constituent assembly was marred by violence and accusations of fraud.

Venezuela's electoral authorities said more than eight million people, or 41.5% of the electorate, had voted, a figure the company that provided the voting system said was inflated.

The opposition boycotted the poll and also held an unofficial referendum in which they said more than seven million Venezuelans voted against the constituent assembly.

How does the international community see it?

The US has imposed sanctions on Mr Maduro, with the Trump administration calling him a "dictator".

The European Union and major Latin American nations say they will not recognise the new body.

Mr Maduro retains a major ally in Russia, however, and has the support of several left-wing nations in the Americas. </s> (CNN) Venezuelan Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz on Friday strongly criticized a ruling by the country's Supreme Court to take over the National Assembly's legislative powers , essentially dissolving it.

"It constitutes a rupture of the constitutional order," the attorney general said, raising a pocket-size copy of the Venezuelan Constitution in her left hand and standing in front of the Venezuelan flag.

Ortega made the statement during her annual State of the Attorney General's Office address in Caracas. The statement is significant because it breaks with the government's official position.

Venezuelan's opposition has long perceived the attorney general as being loyal to the socialist government of President Nicolás Maduro

"It is my obligation to express in front of the country my deep concern about this event (the ruling)" Ortega added.

In a surprising move late Wednesday, the Venezuela's high court stripped the National Assembly of its powers. The court ruled that all powers vested under the legislative body will be transferred to the Supreme Court, which is stacked with government loyalists.

The argument behind the rule was that the assembly was in contempt of law for ignoring a court order preventing the swearing-in of three legislators from Amazonas state whose elections the court had deemed invalid.

The court's move effectively means the three branches of the Venezuelan government will be controlled by the ruling United Socialist Party. The opposition has been taken out of the picture.

Maduro spoke about the ruling in a message broadcast live Thursday on the government's TV network.

"They're giving me and authorizing me, enabling special powers that stem out of the state of emergency clauses in our constitution. This is an order by the Supreme Court. It's a historic ruling," Maduro said.

Opposition leaders said the ruling amounts to a coup, and they are already calling the Maduro government "a dictatorship."

"Nicolás Maduro has staged a coup d'état," National Assembly President Julio Borges said Thursday. "What this ruling means is that, for the first time, Nicolás Maduro has all the power to enact laws, assign contracts, incur foreign debt and persecute fellow Venezuelans."

CNN contributor and Latin American analyst Carlos Alberto Montaner said the attorney general's statement is not only significant but also revealing.

"I think this is a breakup of the (Venezuelan) top leadership, and it's centered precisely within the judicial power," Montaner said. "This step taken by Luisa Ortega is crucial because she represents one of the most powerful families in the country. She's not an isolated person but has relations and connections and has been the attorney general for a long time."

Also Friday, a group of anti-government protesters, mainly college students, clashed with the Venezuelan National Guard during a demonstration outside the Supreme Court building. Images captured by CNN affiliate Vivo Play shows a member of the guard hitting one of the students in the head.

Three journalists were also attacked, including a Colombian reporter and two photographers whose cameras were destroyed, according to a report by CNN en Español.

There had been similar clashes Thursday afternoon when opposition legislators tried to storm the court's facilities and the guard blocked access.

The Venezuelan political crisis is being closely watched by the international community. The Russian government urged other nations Friday to avoid intervening in Venezuela.

"External forces should not stoke the fire by issuing statements and taking actions pertaining to the internal conflict in Venezuela," Russian government spokeswoman Maria Zajarova said. </s> CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The Latest on Venezuela’s political crisis over installation of a special assembly to rewrite the constitution (all times local):

President Nicolas Maduro is heralding security forces, portraying them as heroes fighting “terrorists” amid mounting criticism of their heavy-handed tactics quelling protests.

Speaking to the National Guard that have been on the front lines of four months of deadly protests, Maduro promised that more than 580 members of the force who he said had been attacked since the protest movement began would receive reparations as part of the work of the Constitutional assembly that convened for the first time Friday.

“I feel deeply the wounds of each one of you,” Maduro said addressing a small group of injured national guardsmen with burns, on crutches and wearing neck braces. “With your bodies as your shield, you have defended the right to peace.”

Several human rights groups and foreign government have denounced excessive use of force by members of the security forces and Venezuela’s chief prosecutor is investigating several uniformed officers for firing live ammunition on protesters in apparent violation of the constitution.

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights is calling on Venezuela to adopt measures for the protection of its chief prosecutor, who has broken with President Nicolas Maduro amid a protracted political crisis.

The commission urges the Venezuelan government to do whatever necessary “to guarantee the life and physical integrity” of prosecutor Luisa Ortega Diaz.

Ignacio J. Alvarez is Ortega’s representative to the proceedings in Washington. Alvarez said Friday that the court-dictated measures “are crucial to try to preserve the important role she is playing for human rights and what is left of democracy in Venezuela.”

On Thursday, Ortega filed an injunction seeking to block the installation of a newly elected constitutional assembly with the authority to rewrite the nation’s charter and trump all other branches of government. She also ordered an investigation into alleged election tampering in the vote to elect the assembly.

Maduro allies have said one of the body’s first tasks will be to target Ortega. She was a longtime supporter of the late President Hugo Chavez but has been critical of Maduro’s government and opposed some of its actions.

Former Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez has delivered a stern warning to government opponents in her first remarks as head of the special assembly rewriting Venezuela’s constitution.

In her words, the “violent fascists, who are waging economic war on the people” will face justice. The country has been rocked by months of street protests against what the opposition sees as an increasingly authoritarian socialist government.

Her words were greeted with loud applause from the 545 pro-government delegates who had just begun meeting Friday for the first time.

Rodriguez said the all-powerful assembly will commence work Saturday.

She didn’t say what lies ahead, but some fellow delegates have been pledging to target opposition lawmakers and remove chief prosecutor Luisa Ortega from office as part of their first order of business.

Ortega is a former loyalist who recently broke with President Nicolas Maduro, accusing him of breaking Venezuela’s democratic order.

The controversial assembly charged with rewriting Venezuela’s constitution has gotten to work, and its first act of business was selecting former Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez to lead the body.

The nomination made by socialist party leader Diosdado Cabello was approved unanimously by the 545 delegates.

Rodriguez led a cadre of close allies of President Nicolas Maduro who resigned top posts to run for the constituent assembly, which will have sweeping powers to upend institutions and go after the government’s opponents.

Venezuela’s pro-government constitutional assembly has gathered for the first time, kicking off the session by singing the country’s national anthem.

Delegates marched to the neo-classical legislative palace accompanied by hundreds of red-shirted government supporters. Some were carrying roses and large portraits of the late Hugo Chavez, predecessor and mentor to President Nicolas Maduro.

Some shouted, “He’s returned,” as a jab at the opposition, which ordered images of Chavez removed from an adjacent building when it won control of congress in 2015.

Leading the procession was first lady Cilia Flores and socialist party leader Diosdado Cabello.

The assembly is charged with rewriting Chavez’s 1999 constitution and has been given sweeping powers over other branches of government.

Representatives of the South American trade bloc Mercosur will meet to discuss the deteriorating situation in Venezuela.

Mercosur suspended Venezuela late last year over what member nations said was its failure to comply with commitments on democracy and human rights.

The Brazilian Foreign Ministry said in a statement that the foreign ministers of Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will meet Saturday. There’s speculation they will evict Venezuela for violating the group’s democratic norms.

Venezuela has increasingly cracked down on the opposition and many countries thoughout the region have denounced the allegedly tilted election of a pro-government assembly to rewrite the constitution.

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called the president of Mexico a “coward” — and has gotten a swift response in the same terms from Mexico’s top diplomat.

Maduro says a transcript of a January phone call between Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto and U.S. President Donald Trump showed deference and weakness on the part of Pena Nieto.

In the conversation, Pena Nieto repeats courteously that Mexico won’t pay for Trump’s proposed border wall, and Trump urges him to stop saying that in public.

Maduro said that showed Trump “gave him a public order” and called it “shameful.”

Mexico’s Foreign Relations Secretary Luis Videgaray shot back in a tweet to Maduro Thursday, saying: “You’re the coward, for using the power of the government to dismantle democracy and attack your own people.”

The Vatican is urging Venezuela’s government to “avoid or suspend” the new assembly tasked with rewriting the constitution while holding near-absolute powers.

A statement issued Friday says steps such as the assembly “rather than favor reconciliation and peace, foment a climate of tension and confrontation.”

President Nicolas Maduro says the assembly is scheduled to start its meetings on Friday.

The Vatican message expresses “deep worry for the radicalization and worsening” of Venezuela’s political crisis and for the rising toll of casualties and prisoners from anti-government clashes.

Pope Francis invited the faithful worldwide to pray for the country and its people.

The message says Francis is closely following the crisis’ “humanitarian, social, political, economic and also spiritual” developments.

A prominent Venezuelan opposition leader has been returned to his home after spending several days jailed.

The wife of Antonio Ledezma says on social media that the former Caracas mayor arrived home before dawn Friday.

Security forces forcibly entered Ledesma’s apartment before dawn Tuesday and took him to a military prison. Officials accused him of violating the terms of his house arrest by posting anti-government messages on social media.

Also hauled back to jail for the same reason was opposition activist Leopoldo Lopez.

Foreign governments condemned the decision to jail both men, saying it could be the start of a new wave of repression against President Nicolas Maduro’s opponents following a vote Sunday to choose delegates to a special assembly to rewrite the nation’s constitution. </s> Caracas : A Venezuelan helicopter pilot who vanished after dropping grenades on the Supreme Court has reappeared in an online video, as justices on Wednesday considered whether to hold a trial that would remove the country’s defiant chief prosecutor.

Oscar Perez - who claims support from members of the military, police and public servants - urged Venezuelans in the video posted late Tuesday to “stand firm in the streets” in their protests against socialist President Nicolas Maduro.

At least 91 people have been killed in street protests that have rocked the socialist Maduro government over the past three months. On Tuesday anti-government protesters blocked streets in Caracas and elsewhere. Protesters blame Maduro for Venezuela’s desperate economic crisis. He blames the chaos on a US-backed conspiracy.

While Perez’s dramatic actions may be a sideshow in the country’s deadly political crisis, the possible destitution of chief prosecutor Luisa Ortega - the most senior figure to defy Maduro - suggests a split in the government that could tip the balance of power.

Ortega, 59, refused to appear in court Tuesday in a case she says was trumped up by the authorities after she defied Maduro.

“I am not going condone a circus that will stain our history with shame and pain and whose decision is foretold,” Ortega told reporters.

“I have committed no crime nor errors and I am not going to submit to this unconstitutional and illegitimate court,” she said. “We already know that today I will be removed from my post.”

Ortega accuses Maduro of violating the constitution with his plan to hold a special assembly to rewrite the document.

Opponents say this “constituent assembly” will be packed with allies that will allow him to cling to power.

She had earlier accused the pro-government Supreme Court of undermining democracy through a short-lived ruling that seized power from the opposition-led legislature.

That ruling helped spark the current wave of protests.

As violence swelled, Ortega accused police of killing protesters - comments that enraged Maduro, who branded her a traitor.

Pro-government lawmaker Pedro Carreno has filed charges against Ortega, alleging “serious errors in the carrying out of her functions.”

He also alleged she was suffering from “insanity” and should be fired.

The court held its hearing Tuesday in her absence and said afterwards it would decide within five days whether to send her to trial and suspend her from office. </s> Venezuela's chief prosecutor, an ally of President Nicolas Maduro, has said the decision by the Supreme Court to take over legislative powers from the National Assembly violates the law.

Luisa Ortega is the first high-ranking official to criticise the measure. She has expressed "great concern".

The ruling effectively dissolves the elected legislature, which has been dominated by the president's opponents.

Critics say the "coup" takes the country closer to one-man rule.

The Organisation of American States (OAS) described the development as the "final blow to democracy in the country".

In her annual report, Ms Ortega said: "[The measure] constitutes a rupture of the constitutional order. It's my obligation to express my great concern to the country."

The statement is a surprising break with the official line for someone close to the government, correspondents say.
• What is behind the turmoil?

On Thursday the Venezuelan Supreme Court seized power from the opposition-led legislature, a move that could essentially allow it to write laws itself.

The court justified the move by saying the National Assembly's lawmakers were "in a situation of contempt" after allegations of electoral irregularities by three opposition lawmakers during the 2015 elections.

It did not indicate if or when it might hand power back.

The court had previously backed the leftist president in his struggles with the legislature - on Tuesday removing parliamentary immunity from the assembly's members.

The move is the latest example of the socialist President Maduro tightening his grip on power, which critics say he has been doing for months, amid a deepening economic crisis in the country.

What has the reaction been?

The crisis has raised international alarm about the stability of Venezuelan democracy, which has undergone three attempted military coups since 1992.

The US state department called the court's move a "serious setback for democracy."

Most regional powers including Brazil, Mexico, Argentina, Peru and Chile have warned that the action is a threat to Venezuelan democracy. The regional bloc Mercosur will discuss the situation at an emergency meeting on Saturday.

Leftist-led Bolivia defended President Maduro, who has yet to comment publicly.

Venezuela's foreign ministry accused critics of the government of forming a right-wing regional pact against President Maduro.

Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez described the OAS is a pawn of US "imperialism". </s> CARACAS (Reuters) - Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro announced on Monday a national vote to create a new "constituent" National Assembly legislature in order to defuse a bitter political conflict after a month of anti-government protests.

Opponents say the move is another attempt to sideline the current opposition-led National Assembly and keep the unpopular Maduro in power in the midst of a bruising recession and unrest that has led to 29 deaths in the last month. </s> Venezuela's controversial new constituent assembly has overwhelmingly voted in favour of assuming the powers of the opposition-led parliament.

The move has been rejected by parliament, which said Venezuelans and the international community would not recognise the new powers.

President Nicolas Maduro says the new assembly will end the deadly political unrest in the country.

But many have called it a slide towards dictatorship.

The head of the Organization of American States (OAS) Luis Almagro called the move an "illegitimate dissolution" of the elected parliament.

Regional economic bloc Mercosur - which includes the region's two biggest economies Brazil and Argentina - also condemned the move and said it would not recognise the new assembly's actions.

Mercosur suspended Venezuela indefinitely earlier this month, urging Mr Maduro to release prisoners and begin a political transition.

Meanwhile the heads of the parliament and the new assembly have been trading insults on social media.

Parliament head Julio Borges accused the new assembly of a "coup" while new assembly head Delcy Rodriguez - a close ally of Mr Maduro - denounced his "lies".

Mr Maduro's wife and son are among the 545 members of the new assembly, which was set up following a controversial election earlier this month.

More than 120 people have been killed in violent protests since April.

The president's opponents want to hold a vote to remove him, blaming his left-wing administration for food shortages and soaring inflation in the oil-rich country.

What is the new body - and why is it so controversial?

Constituent assemblies are set up for the specific purpose of drafting or adopting a constitution, and as such can fundamentally change how a country is run.

Venezuela seen waves of violent protests, and Mr Maduro presented the assembly as a way of promoting "reconciliation and peace".

An ally of Mr Maduro, former foreign minister Delcy Rodriguez, is president of the new body

How widely is it supported?

The election for the constituent assembly was marred by violence and accusations of fraud.

Venezuela's electoral authorities said more than eight million people, or 41.5% of the electorate, had voted, a figure the company that provided the voting system said was inflated.

The opposition boycotted the poll and also held an unofficial referendum in which they said more than seven million Venezuelans voted against the constituent assembly.

How does the international community see it?

The US has imposed sanctions on Mr Maduro, with the Trump administration calling him a "dictator".

The European Union and major Latin American nations say they will not recognise the new body.

Mr Maduro retains a major ally in Russia, however, and has the support of several left-wing nations in the Americas.
The new Constituent Assembly votes to remove Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz, a prominent critic of President Nicolás Maduro, from her post. The move comes hours after troops from the National Guard surrounded her home in Caracas.