Caracas, Feb 27 (IANS/EFE): The death this week of a Venezuelan teenager by a police officer who shot him with a shotgun firing rubber bullets has caused not only shock among the public but also the rejection by a large part of society of the use of weapons to suppress protests.

A group of students, jurists, academics and opponents Thursday spoke out against the recent resolution by the ministry of defence allowing the armed forces to use potentially fatal force when deemed necessary during the repression of protests.

The group appealed to the Supreme Tribunal of Justice to ask the Constitutional Court to declare the decision invalid.

High school student Kluiverth Roa, 14, died Tuesday during protests in San Cristobal in Tachira state, and police officer Javier Mora, 23, was charged with aggravated “intentional homicide” because the victim was a minor.

Mora confessed shooting the teenager with the shotgun, the Venezuelan prosecution said.

The People's Ombudsman, Tarek William Saab, said Thursday that the resolution had no relationship with the teenager's death since it regulates the performance of the armed forces and not of the police.

Venezuelan bishops called on the authorities not to employ methods or arms “contrary to law”, in clear reference to the resolution which, according to its detractors, is contrary to the constitution which states that demonstrations cannot be controlled with firearms.

The international community has reacted strongly to the death of the child and urged the Venezuelan government and the opposition to resume talks aimed at ending the crisis.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern over new reports on violence in Venezuela and said he supported efforts to promote political dialogue.

The Human Rights Watch organisation too stressed the need for the Union of South American Nations to repudiate the serious human rights violations in Venezuela and to demand the release of jailed opposition leaders.