VENEZUELA’S parliamentary speaker has condemned a US decision to reward an NGO which aided violent anti-government protests last year.

National Assembly president Diosdado Cabello used his weekly television programme to attack the US State Department for granting the Venezuelan Penal Forum (FP) recognition as a human rights group.

Mr Cabello said that, contrary to US claims that FP had defended “the rule of law and respect for human rights” during the violent “guarimba” demonstrations last year, the group was in fact linked to the opposition leaders behind the violence.