Caracas Chronicles

To overcome the agression against the violinist, yesterday Nicolás tormented a piano and uploaded the video on social networks, showcasing his enormous capacity to do harm. Nicolás doesn’t build bridges but dismantles them instead, saying that a team of experts in explosives told him that there was a plan to bomb them down: “the bridges will be disabled until peace is restored,” were his final words regarding the bridges that connect the Francisco Fajardo highway with Las Mercedes, dismantling the work that Haiman El Troudi presented in 2013 as an improvement. Right when the TSJ orders some mayors to guarantee freedom of movement, the regime blocks it and assumes it as its exclusive right.

“Let’s shake hands”

In an exhibition about women, the least Nicolás did was talking about us and whenever he did, it was an insulting study on misinformation and opacity, with bloated figures of credits for women whose most common start-up these days is to hunt for food at controlled prices.

He presented three newly-painted walls at El Valle Children’s Hospital as if it was a full restoration, and demanded a trial for lawmaker José Guerra. He also claimed that the Truth Committee could do a better job than the General Prosecutor; once again he accused AN Speaker Julio Borges of being responsible for violence; he proposed the Judicial Branch to bring forced labor back from the times of Juan Vicente Gómez and put arrested protesters to build houses. Lastly, he called Manuel Rosales, Henry Ramos Allup, Henri Falcón and Julio Borges to a dialogue, repeating: “Let’s shake hands,” as if he was a decent politician and not a brute.

To the justices

The Mayors Association issued a statement in response to the rulings issued by the TSJ, which decided yesterday to also target Sucre municipality mayor Carlos Ocariz. The consensus is simple: they’re going to protect and defend the right to peaceful protest and political demonstration of all the citizens in their municipalities and they’ll guarantee the full exercise of political and civil rights. Their lawyers are studying the right defense strategy, although Gerardo Blyde pointed out that “this isn’t about trials, this is a political imposition.” In Mérida, mayor Carlos García remarked that governor Alexis Ramírez is the one behind violence, ratifying that the dictatorship is making a mistake by thinking that political persecution will prevent the people from protesting for freedom.

Expedient Lucena

On Thursday, the head of the CNE ratified that they’ve scheduled elections only for the Constituyente, governors and state legislators, that a form has been made available for constituent assembly candidates to collect the 3% signatures required for their nominations and that the number of constituent representatives increased to 545; confirming that elections will be sectorial and territorial. Rector Luis Emilio Rondón says he doesn’t understand the reasons to abuse a process that should fully comply with the Constitution, since Nicolás’ electoral rules “are tremendously unconstitutional” and must be reviewed and corrected. He said that the national constituent process hasn’t been formally convened.

Repressive dignity

Defense minister Vladimir Padrino López issued a statement (un)titled “For the peace, truth and dignity of the Armed Forces” in response to the statements of General Prosecutor Luisa Ortega Díaz, saying that the Prosecutor’s Office’s investigation is barely enough to “prequalify the facts surrounding the death of student Juan Pernalete”, adding that accusing the National Guard “damages our troops’ team spirit (…) it could also promote violence against them and feed the negative opinion that right-wing groups are seeking to spread.”

Since this is a dictatorship, the minister disregards the PO’s investigations and demands its cooperation to boost the repressor’s morale with the promise of guaranteed impunity, regardless of any human rights abuses.

Repression

Sadly, Padrino López didn’t include his thoughts on all the civilian casualties caused by repression, the inhuman treatments and tortures, such as those suffered by Evaluz Estrella Suárez, a student at Universidad de Oriente (Cumaná headquarters) arrested on May 18th, burned and tortured by National Guardsmen, and  still in prison even though she should’ve been released unconditionally on May 20th.

If and when Padrino talks about that, he should include the high school students in San Fernando de Apure who were attacked by armed groups and policemen yesterday; as well as the harassment against AN lawmakers in Barinas, the barbarity committed by the National Guard in Barquisimeto (Valle Hondo, Los Cardones, Colegio Montessori) and in San Antonio de los Altos. He should include Óscar David Fuentes, who was shot in the head last night in Lechería (Anzoátegui). He should include the 2,815 arrests carried out in these last 55 days of protests. But no, better to keep securing impunity for his people.

Accountable

The Prosecutor’s Office made three announcements last night: three Bolívar state police officers will be presented in court for the murder of UDO Ciudad Bolívar student and in Zulia, Omar Barrios and Liz Hernández will be indicted for the murder of Cruz Verde Paúl Moreno. But what really set social media on fire was that the PO started an investigation against VTV show Zurda Konducta, after lawmaker Freddy Guevara accused them of terrorism and slander.

In August, 2016, the hosts of ZK said that there would be death and blood during the Takeover of Caracas (September 1st.) Guevara thinks this claim was an act of terrorism and a slander. The PO demanded ZK to hand over the recording of the show that motivated the lawsuit and the hosts -who are known for their constant harassment against dissidents- simply collapsed! Accusing the PO of “undermining freedom of speech,” accusing the General Prosecutor of being a turncloak, claiming that the PO owes them favors and announcing that the General Prosecutor’s not done with her “betrayal”; all of this just because she’s demanding the recording of one show. Keep this phrase: “What do you want, madam Prosecutor? Because if they send me to prison, we request to be taken to Ramo Verde, close to Leopoldo López. We’ll be political prisoners (“Under the same conditions,” Cabeza ‘e mango added,) we’ll be political prisoners,” said Carvajalino, openly admitting what the regime has denied.

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Today, we’ll march to some military garrisons in the country to demand the brass respect the Constitution, even though the regime’s propaganda insists on trying to convince us that all soldiers are willing to hurt and murder, to violate Human Rights and support a dictatorship. We must insist on our demands to them, on reminding them what justice means.