In a press conference today, Venezuela’s Human Rights Ombudswoman, Gabriela Ramírez, made a genuinely shocking statement. Making up legal standards off the cuff, she sought to redefine torture as something that can happen only in the context of questioning, for the purpose of eliciting a confession. In Ramírez’s view, torture-like behaviour inflicted on detainees outside…
The first question the tour guide asked was easy. “To pay homage to Chávez’s legacy,” was the resounding answer he got from the 50 or so visitors when he asked why we were all there that day. The next question he asked was met with complete silence. This was a Saturday afternoon, and I was…
In the middle of a heavily repressed state of civil unrest that has been both magnified as a continued coup and minimized as a handful of trouble makers not worth missing a holiday for, Maduro launched his National Peace Conference. The conference was of course forcefully broadcast by every TV and radio station. In this conference,…
February has come and gone, and it leaves in its wake a country in a complete state of turmoil. If this uprising has gained anything so far, is has been unveiling the brutal way in which the Venezuelan Government treats its “fascists” countrymen, and the cheap theatrical façade of democracy that chavismo uses to depict…
On the night of February 28th, the National Guard detained 41 people in Altamira Square (eastern Caracas) during one of their recent repressive raids. According to state media outlets like Telesur, eight alleged foreign nationals were arrested as “terrorist vandalists”. A day and half later, all those detained were released by a court of law.…
Say you come into Venezuela with just $1 and an eye for business. Just how much money can you turn that bill into using tried-and-true, being-used-right-now scams? With a bit of gumption the answer to that is…$175K or so. Really. Here’s how. First, take your crisp new dollar bill to a black market currency dealer…
Rafael Osío Cabrices writes a powerful personal essay on what it’s been like living half a block from Plaza Altamira over this last month. What’s the best way to protect a 7-month-old girl from the effects of tear gas? Is it dangerous for her to breathe the smoke from a pile of burning garbage in front…
Over at Foreign Policy, Srdja Popovic (of the Center for Applied Nonviolent Actions and Strategies, or CANVAS) and Mladen Joksic discuss how to turn repression into a strength, something Gene Sharp has called “political ju-jitsu.” Here is the money quote: Finally, a movement should be ready to capitalize on oppression. Following a repressive act, it’s…
Beyond the never ending tear gas and rubber buckshot, it turns out the security forces have a second line of defense against the protests. Both the National Guard and the Bolivarian National Police (under orders of the Defense and Interior Ministries) are using spying tactics to infiltrate protests and identify its leaders. This excellent report…
In a recent nationwide broadcast of a Peace Summit between the Government and some opposition people (none of the actors involved in the current crisis attended), Venevisión’s Carlos Bardasano, speaking on behalf of private media, gave a brief speech: “I believe everything has been said, you can count on the private media to help build…
Here’s one that’s flying under the radar: in a resolution dated February 13th, the government-controlled Supreme Tribunal gave itself the authority to decide which specific judge will hear which specific “sensitive” case, in 18 out of 23 states in the country, rather than using the long-established method of drawing lots to determine which judge hears…
Desde la puerta de ‘La Crónica’ Santiago mira la avenida Tacna, sin amor: automóviles, edificios desiguales y descoloridos, esqueletos de avisos luminosos flotando en la neblina, el mediodía gris. ¿En qué momento se había jodido el Perú? Those are the first two sentences in Mario Vargas Llosa’s masterpiece Conversation in the Cathedral. As he wistfully…
These tumultuous days, as I was glued to Twitter, reading Facebook comments, listening to opinions on the street, and watching the students debate on CNNE, I finally “understood” Venezuela’s deep polarization. After 15 years of war speech, we have become two distinct countries, two societies that haven’t been able to reconcile in more than a…
When Hugo Chávez was alive, sometimes, in his rare bouts of sanity, he made it sound as if the Revolution really had good intentions. “Socialism”, he would say, “is also for the middle class. This Revolution is for you!” (Note: Check out this video - in Spanish – for a reminder of the rhetorical brilliance of…
