CARACAS   -   Venezuela’s opposition candidate called Saturday for President Nicolas Maduro to end “violence and persecution,” hours after the country’s high court said its upcoming ruling on the disputed July 28 election cannot be appealed. Edmundo Gonzalez Urrutia, who claims to have won the election by a wide margin, posted a social media video demanding Maduro allow free political expression. “I ask you on behalf of all Venezuelans to put an end to the violence and persecution and to immediately release all compatriots arbitrarily detained,” Gonzalez Urrutia said, referring to post-election unrest that left 24 dead and 2,200 people arrested. “Demanding respect for our constitution is not a crime, demonstrating peacefully to uphold the will of millions of Venezuelans is not a crime,” the 74-year-old former diplomat added.