Two of Nicolas Maduro¡¯s oldest allies have raised eyebrows on the sidelines of the annual gathering of the United Nations by hosting a pro-democracy event.

Brazil¡¯s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez initially conceived of the event to highlight the threats posed by the far-right.

But the Venezuelan leader¡¯s brutal crackdown on opponents following his self-declared victory in a July election has, instead, shifted attention to their policies toward the beleaguered South American nation ¡ª and generated criticism that they have enabled the regime.