Caracas Chronicles

As promised, we’ve kept updating the interactive map of lynchings, and have now added incidents of looting. This map isn’t meant to be exhaustive, since we only include events that have been verified and reported by media outlets. We have not included protests or demonstrations. The news report that accompanies each incident is linked to the georeferenced spot on the map.

Since our last post, at least three new lynchings have been reported so far this month, on April 16 in San Francisco municipality, Maracaibo, on April 25 in San Blas, Petare and on April 26, in Altamira.

The first two cases are related to personal motives as opposed to collective anger. The third case is worrying because it shows how criminals are taking advantage of the confusion to accuse victims or bystanders for their crimes before running away. The angered mob isn’t interested in verifying anything and simply attacks. In this case at least, the young victim was saved by a man who confirmed that he wasn’t robbing anybody.

We’re also adding cases of widespread looting and vandalism in Maracaibo in the last three days, after serious power outages have left the city partly in the dark. The Army has deployed nearly 2,000 men with the stated purpose of patrolling the city for any disturbance.

Although the Capital and nearby cities are excluded from the electrical rationing plan, there have been some looting attempts in Greater Caracas in these last two days.

We’ll continue to update the map as events unfold. Do let us know which ones we’re missing.