Venezuela's government-friendly Supreme Court ratifies it as victor of highly contested elections

Venezuela's government-friendly Supreme Court (TSJ) ratified on Thursday its victory in the country's highly contested elections.

The decision was expected, considering the body's members are close to the Maduro government, same as those who form the country's electoral council.

Supreme Court President Caryslia Beatriz Rodríguez Rodríguez read the body's ruling out loud, saying the it "indubitably certified the electoral materials issued by the National Electoral Council, which validate the results of the July 28 presidential elections."

The body went on to say it will go after the opposition leaders who who presented documentation to back their claims about largely winning in the polls.

In contrast, top opposition leader María Corina Machado took to social media to recall that a UN mission determined that "both the TSJ and the CNE lack impartiality and independence, and have played a role within the state's repressive machine."

"We thank the independent mission for this firm and unequivocal position. There is no maneuver that can give a shred of legitimacy to Nicolás Maduro in his attempted coup. The people have spoken. The popular will shall be respected," Machado said.

A large portion of the international community has also rejected the government's victory claim, emphasizing on the lack of supporting documentation. However, Maduro and his allies have doubled down, clamping down on protests and going after opposition leaders through legal officials.

On Wednesday, Attorney General Tarek William Saab said both Machado and Edmundo González Urrutia, the opposition's presidential candidate, could be charged with murder.

In an interview with a local outlet, Saab, a close ally of President Nicolás Maduro, said the two coordinated attacks against the government with several American administrations going back as far as Donald Trump's.

He went on to say that his office is investigating protests that followed the July 28 elections, claiming they were planned by the "far right," allegedly headed by Machado, and added that "at any moment, any of them could be charged and held responsible as the intellectual authors of all these events."

Saab has been sanctioned by the U.S. for offenses ranging from human rights violations to corruption and drug trafficking. He is one of Venezuela's most high-profile figures and prone to controversial statements, recently saying that protesters hurt by police repression used ketchup to simulate blood.

He also said that the thousands of people detained during the protests are "actually good because they cleanse society, they show who are the ones with this sick mentality and who are the ones who don't want any of this.

As of August 18, NGO Foro Penal reported that over 1,500 people have been arrested since the protests began on July 29. The figure includes 129 teenagers aged between 14 and 17 and 18 people with disabilities. "We are still getting, checking and processing reports," said NGO Vicepresident Gonzalo Himiob. Figures close to Maduro are reporting even higher figures, saying they are closer to 2,000.