University leaders at different higher education institutions in Venezuela Monday claimed the country is plagued with serious political discrimination.

Their remarks came following detention on July 14-15 of a number of students who demonstrated outside the Central University of Venezuela (UCV) soccer stadium in Caracas and Pachencho Romero stadium, in northwestern Zulia state, where the final match of Copa América soccer tournament was played.

Fabricio Briceño, a student leader at UCV University Council, said the students were detained while staging a peaceful demonstration within the framework of Copa América soccer tournament. Officers with the Directorate of Police Intelligence Services (Disip) and other state security corps stopped the demonstration and arrested protesters.

"Yesterday (July 15), it was shown once again that there exists political discrimination, as a group of students were arrested in UCV soccer stadium."

"There was repression, particularly in Maracaibo (Zulia state), where the army not only did repress students, but violated university autonomy by breaking into the School of Medicine, where they kidnapped a bus with Carabobo University students."

Briceño said the student movement would continue in the streets and asked Venezuelans to join them in the different activities they are preparing to advocate human rights.