A/HRC/45/CRP.11 83. Thousands of protests were held across the country in the months following these decisions.135 On 31 March, former Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz strongly criticized the judgments.136 On 1 April, the Supreme Court partially backtracked on key parts of its decisions, reversing the transfer of legislative powers from the National Assembly to the Supreme Court137 and restoring parliamentary immunity.138 This followed a request by President Maduro, via the National Defence Council, for clarification of the decisions in light of public objections.139 However, serious interference with the National Assembly continued. 84. In the context of ongoing protests, the Government redoubled security measures. On 19 April 2017, President Maduro announced the activation of the “green phase” of Plan Zamora with the objective of maintaining “internal order” in the country.140 He described the plan as “joint civil-military” operation, involving military, police and civilian forces, to “defeat the coup d’état”, which he said was planned by the United States. 141 Activities under the plan were to be coordinated with the “anti-coup commandos”, which President Maduro had “reactivated” in January 2017, with then-Vice President Tareck El Aissami in charge.142 85. On 1 May 2017, President Maduro enacted Presidential Decree No. 2830, 143 announcing the conformation of a National Constituent Assembly, citing article 347 of the Constitution. This provision allows for the establishment of a Constituent Assembly “with the objective of transforming the State, creating a new legal system and rewriting the Constitution”. 86. The move was immediately criticized by the opposition. On 5 July 2017, the National Assembly approved a parallel “national consultation”, to be held on 16 July, citing authority under articles 5, 70, 71, 333 and 350 of the Constitution, to determine whether the population agreed with the formation of the National Constituent Assembly. 144 On 16 July, the votes 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 20 See Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Human rights violations and abuses in the context of protests in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela from 1 April to 31 July 2017, available at: https://www.ohchr.org/Documents/Countries/VE/HCReportVenezuela_1April-31July2017_EN.pdf. See YouTube Video, Espacio Público, Luisa Ortega Díaz: Sentencias del TSJ violan orden constitucional, 31 March 2017, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W56pgztvbVI. See also, La Patilla, Fiscal General solicita antejuicio de mérito a Magistrados del TSJ, 13 June 2017, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OpIr-lFjzTw. On 28 June, the Supreme Court barred her from leaving the country and froze her assets alleging “serious misconduct”. See Tweet by the Supreme Court: https://twitter.com/TSJ_Venezuela/status/880230205176074241?s=20; See also UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, statement by the UN Special Rapporteur on Independence of Judges and Lawyers, UN Special Rapporteur on the independence of judges rejects intimidation of Venezuela’s Attorney General, 30 June 2017, available at: https://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=21819&LangID=E. Judgment No. 158, Clarifying judgment No. 156 of 29 March 2017. Judgment No. 157, Clarifying judgment No. 155 of 28 March 2017. See e.g., BBC, Venezuela: el Consejo de Defensa pide al Tribunal Supremo de Justicia que revise sus decisiones sobre la Asamblea Nacional, available at: https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-americalatina-39402013. YouTube Video, Diario Panorama, Maduro anuncia la activación del plan Gran Zamora para la seguridad del país, 18 April 2017, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4IQsMO9BqI. Ibid. See YouTube Video, Voice of America, Venezuela: Maduro crea “Comando AntiGolpe”, 11 January 2017, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h5EWqT68i-I. Presidential Decree No. 2830, published in Official Gazette No. 6295, 1 May 2017, available at: https://www.sumate.org/documentos/Decreto_N_2.830_del_1_de_mayo_de_2017_Convocatoria_Pre sidencial_Constituyente.010517.pdf. See also YouTube, Luigino Bracci Roa, Presidente Maduro, Marcha del 1 de mayo, Convoca Asamblea Nacional Constituyente, 1 May 2017, minute 1:13.00, available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GlXooV7SXI4. The specific questions were: 1) whether they rejected the effort to hold a constituent assembly that has not been approved by voters; 2) whether they wanted the country’s armed forces to uphold the current Constitution and the decisions of the opposition-run National Assembly; and 3) whether they wanted free elections to pick a new “national unity Government”.