I dedicate this blog to my country, Venezuela. To all those students risking their lives and freedom to live in one of the most beautiful countries in the world, where you can find nice people, spectacular beaches, snow mountains, desert lands, vibrant modern cities, and the beauty of Venezuelan women, and as if that were not enough, blessed with natural riches of all kinds.
Sadly, Venezuela is facing a real time tragedy. Hugo Chávez brought communism here, to which I will refer to, as terrorism. In only 15 years Venezuela changed from a oil export modern country, to a terrorism and drug exporter country, in part thanks to the silence of international community.
The price we are paying for the so called Revolution of the XXI century, is too high. International reserves are down to zero. We are now gasoline importers. This is one of the more violent countries in the world. Venezuela is broke. Airlines can't collect their money. So are labs. There is a food shortage. Brand stores are closing. Hundreds of unconstitutional laws are being forced every day on Venezuelan people.
This blog has 6 sections (and growing):
The Prologue
Part I: The horror in pictures
Part II: The abuse on civilians
Part III: Reasons to protest.
Part IV: The Regime's "Colectivos" (Thugs).
Part V: The Videos.
Sadly, Venezuela is facing a real time tragedy. Hugo Chávez brought communism here, to which I will refer to, as terrorism. In only 15 years Venezuela changed from a oil export modern country, to a terrorism and drug exporter country, in part thanks to the silence of international community.
The price we are paying for the so called Revolution of the XXI century, is too high. International reserves are down to zero. We are now gasoline importers. This is one of the more violent countries in the world. Venezuela is broke. Airlines can't collect their money. So are labs. There is a food shortage. Brand stores are closing. Hundreds of unconstitutional laws are being forced every day on Venezuelan people.
Years of improper conduct by the regime, led the people to get tired and start to protest as a result of insecurity, high inflation and commodity shortages. Protesters argue that these problems have been caused by the economic policies of the Venezuelan government, among them the strict price controls-which led to one of the highest levels of inflation in the world today.
On February 12, 2014, Caracas joined the protests, called by the leaders of the Venezuelan opposition and organized in conjunction with student movements. Are held in cities across the country, and among the reasons alleged by opposition protesters include discontent with the alleged violation of civil rights (a suspension of guarantees), chronic shortages of basic commodities, high levels of criminal violence and Cuba alleged interference in the politics of Venezuela.
So far, demonstrations and riots have left a toll of 45 deaths (ruling, opponents, officials of the National Guard and others), more than 486 injured and more than 3,153 arrested, as reported by the Venezuelan Penal Forum, (human rights organization) which also reports 80+ cases of alleged torture.
Students all over the country have been protesting against this pro communist regime for more than 100 days, but the Maduro's regime, supported by cuban G2, have everything they need to inflict all the possible damage, physically and psychologically to the protesters.
Recently, a group of American senators, tired of watching this abusive behavior of the Venezuelan-cuban regime, decided to do something about it, asking for sanctions against the Venezuelan officials involved in human rights violations. In a voice vote, House members approved the Venezuelan Human Rights and Democracy Protection Act. See the leter HERE.
Florida lawmakers working in favor of sanctions:
DEMOCRATS: Senators Bill Nelson, Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, Rep. Ron DeSantis, Rep. Ted Deutch, Rep. Joe García, Rep. Lois Frankel, Rep. Frederica Wilson, Rep Patrick Murphy, Rep. Corrine Brown, and Rep. Alan Grayson.
REPUBLICANS: Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, Rep. Gus Bilirakis, and Sen. Marco Rubio.
Venezuela could not be happier. The protests proved that the world was looking at us and asking themselves how to help.
But discrepancies occur. The U.S. department of travel warnings just issued a bulletin asking American people to avoid traveling to Venezuela due to the extreme violence present there. This Travel Warning updates the Travel Warning issued on November 22,
2013, to include information on the ongoing demonstrations and additions
to the movement policy for U.S. Embassy personnel and their families.
At the same time 14 democrats, leaded by John Conyers jr., signed a letter to president Obama against Venezuelan sanctions.
Venezuela is facing 79 deaths for every 100,000 citizens. In 2013 alone, 24,763 people died due to violence and crime. 12% are violent crimes. The worst part is that 90% of these crimes go to cold cases.
Venezuela has been a key pillar in the irregular penetration of Iranian and Islamic immigrants in America, according to a report by the Center for a Secure Free Society (SFS), a think thank based Global Washington DC is clear, and the Institute Canada's Social and Economic Analysis (ISEA), which had Infobae access.
The study suggests that the facilities and Venezuela-Cuba-service Islamic extremists are a threat to safety in America. Remember, in this regard, in 2006 the Canadian security forces arrested 18 terrorists were planning a series of attacks, including the beheading of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the detonation of a bomb in Parliament.
"To the extent that Iran continues to open strategic roads in the western hemisphere, the threat of attacks sponsored by state actors is arguably more dangerous," the document entitled "Canada On Guard: Confronting the threat from Iran, Venezuela and Cuba to immigration security ".
He warns, for example, that the Venezuelan authorities provided at least 173 passports, visas and Islamic extremists trying to enter North America unnoticed way. "Canada is particularly vulnerable to these plans because of their high level of acceptance (86 percent) of Iranian asylum applications," says the report. In fact, states that Iran is the main source of undocumented immigrants who come to Canada under refugee status.
JAIL FOR GENOCIDE:
Latin American legislators are asking the International Criminal Court in The Hague trial Maduro.This week, more
than 90 Spanish senators and about 200 Latin American legislators have
asked the International Criminal Court in The Hague to open an
investigation into violations of human rights committed in Venezuela,
claiming that the dome of the Chavez regime, including its leader
Nicolas Maduro, have committed crimes against humanity.(Complete note here).
Why sanctions must be applied to human rights abusers in Venezuela?
The penalties proposed in the U.S. Congress against violators of human rights in Venezuela are:
a) if they have visa to enter the United States that visa will be canceled.
b) If you do not have a visa to enter the United States and apply for it, Visa will not be granted.
c) if they have bank accounts or personal property in the United States they will be seized and frozen.
As you can see, the sanctions are not against the Venezuelan country, the sanctions are against those who have being systematically violating the human rights of Venezuelans for more than a decade. Apply to those who are running and stimulating the armed aggression against people; to which daily increase levels of violent repression; who ordered, executed, harbor or conceal torture; judges and prosecutors who make the judiciary a tool of the regime to violate civil and political rights of citizens; directing the security forces as instruments of the regime to political persecution and harassment of dissidents; who in any way or has been involved in various cooperative arrangements aimed restrict or prevent freedom of expression.
Such penalties on violators and violators of human rights are not, as claimed by the regime and some of its allies in Unasur, interference in the internal affairs of Venezuela. In contrast, pressure the U.S. government to impose such sanctions is not meddling in their internal affairs and disregard their sovereignty as an independent nation.
Indeed, each country is "sovereign" and in this case the United States, sovereign, has the basic right to decide who may have or obtain a visa to enter its territory and who is not. Consequently you may decide that those subjects who qualify, at their discretion, as violators of rights shall not be granted them a visa to enter the United States and those who have them revoked. In the same way, has the sovereign right to decide who may have accounts and / or commercial or financial activities in its territory, it is a decision that will enforce in its territory; is not in Venezuela or any other country. Also has the right to choose who can and who can not, own real or personal property in the United States, that is, in your territory.
It's up to American lawmakers decide if you want to help Venezuelans reclaim their liberty and democracy, or simply let it become another Cuba. With all its consequences. In your own backyard.
This is the latest list of venezuelan officials to be sanctioned issued by Senator Marco Rubio:
Luisa Ortega Díaz Attorney General of Public Prosecutions
Gabriela Ramírez - The Ombudsman
Luis Alberto Arrayago - Coronel Regional Command 8 Commander
Miguel Vivas Landín - Major General Commanding Gral of the People's Guard
Francisco Rangel Gómez - Governor of Bolívar State, since 2004.
Henry Rangel Silva - current governor of Trujillo State.
José Manuel La Guardia Patiño - Military Commander
Sergio Rivero - head of the National Command of the People's Guard
Antonio Benavides - Brigadier General (GNB)
Franklin García Duque - Brigadier Gral Regional Command 1 Commander
Arquímedes Herrera Ruso - Brigadier Gral Regional Command 2 Commander
Manuel Quevedo Colmenares - Brigadier Gral Regional Command 5 Commander
Ministro Miguel Rodríguez Torres - Minister of Popular Power for Interior Relations, Justice and Peace
Marcos Rojas Figueroa - Viceminister of public safety
Manuel Pérez Urdaneta - Brigadier Gral (ret) Actual Director of National Police (PNB)
Manuel Gregorio Bernal - Brigadier Gral - former director of SEBIN. (Bolivarian National Intelligence Service).
Complete & detailed list here.
Where is part of the money stolen from Venezuela? (Complete note here)
(Year:2006) List of venezuelan officials with money accounts offshore (amounts in U.S.$)
1 Diosdado Cabello 278,561,500
2 Danilo Díaz Granados 107,484,000
3 Víctor Cruz Weffer 98,675,500
4 Alí Rodríguez Araque 79,231,500
5 Tobías Nobrega 77,109,500
6 Rafael Sarria 66,182,500
7 Rafael Alvarez Cederborg 45,627,000
8 Carlos Eduardo Kauffman 43,762,000
9 Rafael Ramírez 39,765,500
10 Jesús María Viloria 34,728,500
11 Guillermo Palacios 31,706,000
12 Orlando Soghbi 26,607,000
13 José Vicente Rangel Vale 26,068,500
14 José Gregorio Vielma 24,879,000
15 Freddy Bernal 22,891,000
16 Jorge Luis García Carneiro 22,685,500
17 Ramón Alfonso Carrizales 21,349,000
18 Francisco Ameliach 20,993,000
19 José Vicente Rangel Avalos 19,937,000
20 Rafael José Sánchez 18,375,500
21 Hugo de los Reyes Chávez 17,743,500
22 Leonardo González Dellan 17,375,500
23 Héctor Navarro 16,078,500
24 Rafael María Ramón 14,730,500
25 Majed khalil Majzoub 13,975,500
26 Jesse Chacón 13,712,500
27 Edgar Hernández Behrens 13,243,500
28 Eliezer Otaiza Castillo 11,875,500
29 William Rafael Lara 11,373,000
30 José Vicente Rodríguez 11,282,000
31 Juan Alejandro Barreto 9,478,000
32 Alexis Navarro 9,316,000
33 Trino Alcides Díaz 8,819,500
34 José Francisco Natera 8,805,500
35 Antonio Rodríguez 8,197,000
36 Adán Chávez Frías 8,175,500
37 Nicolás Maduro Moros 7,891,500
38 Jesús Reyes Reyes 7,842,000
39 Juan Vicente Cabezas 7,482,000
40 Khaled Khalil Majzoub 7,281,500
41 Marisabel R. de Chávez 7,263,000
42 Virgilio Lameda 7,184,500
43 Ismael Eliecer Hurtado 6,317,500
44 Alvin Reinaldo Lezama 6,289,000
45 Aristobulo Isturiz 6,079,500
46 Raúl Baduel 5,967,000
47 Jorge Rodríguez 5,793,500
48 Gustavo Reyes Rangel 5,284,000
49 Ronald Blanco 4,777,500
50 Arnoldo Márquez 4,756,000
51 Jesús Hernández González 4,710,500
52 Isaías Rodríguez Díaz 4,481,500
53 Pedro Celestino Pérez 4,332,000
54 Alberto Gutiérrez Ramos 4,232,500
55 Tarek William Saab Halabi 4,218,500
56 Ramón Martínez 4,213,000
57 José David Cabello 3,916,000
58 Ismael García 3,841,500
59 Lucas Rincón 3,817,000
60 Cilia Adela Flores 3,816,000
61 Luis Alfonzo Dávila García 3,697,500
62 Iván Rincón Urdaneta 3,384,000
63 Gerardo Lizcano Acevedo 3,290,500
64 Luis Felipe Acosta Carles 3,273,000
65 Cliver Alcala Cordones 3,178,500
66 Florencio Porras 3,118,500
67 Clodosvaldo Russian 3,108,500
68 Johnny Yáñez 2,987,000
69 Eduardo Semtei 2,981,500
70 Pedro Miguel Carre 2,947,000
71 Luis Velázquez Alvaray 2,936,500
72 Jesús Montilla 2,699,000
73 Roger Capella 2,689,500
74 Ana Elisa Osorio 2,487,500
75 María Iris Varela 2,431,000
76 Néestor León Heredia 2,342,000
77 Francisco José Solorzano 2,341,000
78 Vladimir Padrino López 1,932,000
79 Wilfredo Ramón Silva 1,921,000
80 Ricardo Antonio Gutiérrez 1,894,500
81 Víctor Alvarez Rodríguez 1,856,000
82 Ernesto Rodríguez 1,789,500
& 46 more names.
UPDATE: So far, there are 3.163 detentions up-to-date (July-25-2017)
Detentions from Feb. 04 to June 11/2014.
Detentions from Feb. 04 to June 11/2014.
Released with precautionary measures: 1929 (108 minors)
Being checked: 440 (15 minors)
Full freedom: 407 (55 minors)
Released without precautionary measures:250 (38 minors)
Prisoners without a trial: 117
Pending to present: 2
TOTAL: 3,165 (215 minors)
For a complete list of details: Venezuelan Penal Forum https://foropenal.com/
For a complete list of details: Venezuelan Penal Forum https://foropenal.com/
Venezuelan Penal Forum complaint with Attorney General's Office 80 cases of torture during protests (Full story here)
Please help Venezuela. SOS VENEZUELA.
