page_title: Timeline of the 2017 Venezuelan protests
section_title: April
hierarchical_section_title: Timeline of the 2017 Venezuelan protests / April
caption_attribution_description: English: Richard Blanco during the Venezuelan National Assembly special session in Brión Square, Caracas, on 1 April 2017
context_page_description: The 2017 Venezuelan protests began in late January following the abandonment of Vatican-backed dialogue between the Bolivarian government and the opposition. The series of protests originally began in February 2014 when hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans protested due to high levels of criminal violence, inflation, and chronic scarcity of basic goods because of policies created by the Venezuelan government though the size of protests had decreased since 2014. Following the 2017 Venezuelan constitutional crisis, protests began to increase greatly throughout Venezuela.
  The opposition protests demanded immediate presidential elections to be held following controversy surrounding the failure to recall President Nicolás Maduro. The protests are listed below according to the month they had happened.
context_section_description: 1 April – The National Assembly holds a special session a calls for a concentration in Brión Square in Caracas to discuss the Supreme Court sentences. Although it was noted that the Supreme Court reversed its decision in following resolutions, the parliamentaries argued that the juridic action was a coup.
  4 April – The opposition called for a march from Plaza Venezuela to the National Assembly; access to the meeting point was blocked by the Bolivarian National Guard. Twelve Caracas Metro subway stations were closed. Pro-government colectivos blocked opposition marches and fired weapons at protesters, with demonstrations resulting in the injuries of about 42 individuals, including seven police officers, while over 50 people were arrested.
  5 April – National guards fired tear gas in the engineering faculty of the University of Carabobo and dispersed a protest, violating the university's autonomy. The rector of the university, the governor of Carabobo and other figures denounced the actions. There were 14 injured and 4 arrests during the protest and classes were suspended indefinitely. Hours later the detainees were released.
  6 April – Jairo Ortiz, a 19-year-old student of the Bicentenary University of Aragua, was shot and killed while protesting in Carrizal, Miranda.
  7 April – General Angel Vivas was arrested during a SEBIN operation that tricked him into helping a young man that hit his car into the front door of his house, three years after a detention order was published during the 2014 protests.
  8 April – During the protests 16 subway stations and 19 Caracas Metrobus routes were closed; Henrique Capriles' campaign command was attacked with tear gas and burned by the Bolivarian Guard and Police. The Supreme Tribunal was attacked by violent protesters during the afternoon, burning furniture, breaking windows and damaging the front door. Although the SEBIN pointed out that Primero Justicia leaders were involved, opposition leaders like Freddy Guevara and David Smolansky denounced the attack.
  9 April – Secretary General Luis Almagro stated "I can not help but admire the courage of the people in the street. When no one has solved this humanitarian and political crisis, neither by means of mediation nor by rigged dialogues, the people have decided to make their voices heard in the whole continent, as mandated by the Bolivarian Constitution in its Article 350.
  10 April – Daniel Queliz, a 19-year-old student of the Arturo Michelena University, was shot and killed during a protest in Valencia by a Carabobo Police officer. More than 50 individuals wounded were reported. The National Guard fired tear gas at a clinic after receiving wounded from the protests, including parliamentary Delsa Solórzano, who was hit in the chest by a tear gas canister, affecting patients and forcing a baby to be taken out of the building. PROVEA, opposition leaders and the Ombudsman, Tarek William Saab, denounced that some canisters were fired from helicopters, which is against the Venezuelan Civil Aeronautics Law.
  11 April –While visiting San Félix, Venezuela, President Maduro had objects thrown at him during a parade while riding in a convertible Tiuna military vehicle. Five persons were detained after the incident. In Barquisimeto, a child and a young man were shot and killed by colectivos during protests, while more than twelve individuals were wounded.
  12 April –Venezuela's Catholic church called for a calm from violence and denounced violent colectivos, with Archbishop Jorge Urosa Savino saying "the government cannot continue to protect these groups that are acting illegally". Hours later, pro-government individuals stormed the Basilica of St. Teresa in Caracas, attempting to attack Urosa, though parishioners defended him and police arrested those behind the assault.
  13 April – Two young students and members of Primero Justicia, the Sánchez brothers, were detained. Opposition leaders stated that they were tortured to force them incriminate leaders and parliamentaries. 27 subway stations were closed,
  14 April –The opposition announced the "Grand M
caption: Parliamentaries special session in Brión Square
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