Category Archives: Violence

A great Boris Muñoz piece in The New Yorker

Posted on May 22, 2013 by

Boris Muñoz is one of a select few “must-read” Venezuelan writers. His latest for the New Yorker – talking about our black-and-blue National Assembly – is a doozy. Apparently, chavista “intellectual” Nicmer Evans thinks people who confuse chavismo with a … Continue reading →

Posted in Violence, Women | 58 Comments

More goons, please

Posted on May 9, 2013 by

Violence in Caracas reached new highs in April, and the numbers so far from May aren’t much better. Given this scenario, Nicolás Maduro announced this week that the Armed Forces would participate in a special security plan. In his words, … Continue reading →

Posted in Military, Nicolas Maduro, Society, Violence | 34 Comments

Old and New Media Team Up to Lay Bare Maduro’s CDI-Attack Lie

Posted on April 17, 2013 by

Venezuelan State Media reported yesterday that there were several violent attacks on Barrio Adentro outpatients clinics (known as CDI or Integral Diagnostic Centers) by opposition suporters on Monday night. Those reports were later repeated by Nicolás Maduro himself and Information … Continue reading →

Posted in In Other News, Nicolas Maduro, Presidential Election, Violence | 46 Comments

Piñata Ethics (Updated)

Posted on April 1, 2013 by

So I got myself in a bit of trouble yesterday. My wife, who is very not-Venezuelan read Emiliana’s story about the Semana Santa operativos with evident alarm. But worse was to come when she got to the provocative exchange in the comments section about our pre-eminent childhood … Continue reading →

Posted in Politics, Venezuelan Culture, Violence | Tagged | 132 Comments

A rare moment of admission

Posted on March 8, 2013 by

It’s been easy to forget these last few days that all the “normal” problems of the country are still there just the same. Last week, for instance, Interior Minister Néstor Reverol kindly informed us that 16,000 murders took place in … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, Politics, Society, Violence | 12 Comments

When violence reaches small towns

Posted on March 1, 2013 by

The city of Boconó, located in the Andean state of Trujillo has seen crime grow fast in the last twelve months. Local police admits that every weekend five robberies take place in the town, and retailers are now being extorted. … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice System, Society, Violence | 7 Comments

Bellum pranes contra omnes

Posted on February 13, 2013 by

Sometimes the power of the pranes, the defacto rulers of Venezuelan prisons, is not confined to the walls of the jails. They want to impose their will outside and they’re not afraid of using violence to prove it. One businessman … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, Prisons, Society, Violence | 5 Comments

Uribana is closed, but the crisis isn’t over

Posted on January 29, 2013 by

After officially acknowledging the death of 58 people in the violent events of January 25th, Prisons Minister Iris Varela ordered the transfer of Uribana Prison’s remaining inmates to other jails. Most of them are now ensconced in Yaracuy State Prison … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, Prisons, Society, Violence | 9 Comments

A hard day at Uribana (Updated)

Posted on January 25, 2013 by

Today, personnel of the Prisons Ministry along with soldiers of the National Guard tried to inspect Uribana Prison (located outside Barquisimeto) for illegal materials. The procedure was supposed to be low-profile in nature. But a local journalist found out, thanks … Continue reading →

Posted in In Other News, Prisons, Society, Violence | 27 Comments

The morgue conundrum, cont.

Posted on January 22, 2013 by

The days of Caracas’ main morgue in Bello Monte could be numbered: in the upcoming weeks, two new facilities located in Caricuao and El Llanito will take on part of the work. However both premises face some issues before they … Continue reading →

Posted in Nicolas Maduro, Society, Violence | 10 Comments

Tower of terror

Posted on January 22, 2013 by

Jon Lee Anderson penned an epic article on life in Caracas for the New Yorker, and after jumping through many hoops, I finally dished out $5.95 and read it. It is a devastating piece. There are many ways in which … Continue reading →

Posted in Justice System, Violence | 86 Comments

Chavismo is coming for grandma

Posted on January 16, 2013 by

… and I mean that literally. According to La Verdad, a Maracaibo newspaper, José Álvarez, a rural Táchira native, tortured and killed his 80-year old mother because “god” had “commanded him to do so, because that was the only way … Continue reading →

Posted in Chavez cancer, Violence | 42 Comments

Preparing for the wrong conflict

Posted on December 29, 2012 by

The new Defense Minister Diego Molero Bellavia visited this week the new missile complex of Paraguaná (located near the Josefa Camejo Airport) and told reporters it will be ready in 2013. The new base, armed with the Russian S-125 Neva/Pechorawill … Continue reading →

Posted in In Other News, Military, Violence | 7 Comments

Getting groceries the “commando” way

Posted on December 21, 2012 by

In recent years, a new kind of robbery has become recurrent in Venezuela: the “commando assault”. Its modus operandi is based on a large and organized group of criminals (ten or more), who arrive to a location like a commercial … Continue reading →

Posted in In Other News, Society, The Economy, Violence | 5 Comments

The great public safety flop

Posted on December 5, 2012 by

Six months have passed since the first announcement of the 19th safety plan of the Chavernment: Gran Misión “A Toda Vida Venezuela”. How it has fared so far? Experts indicate that the number of crimes has not gone down, and … Continue reading →

Posted in Human Rights, In Other News, Society, Violence | 6 Comments