Briefing

Another move on the board

Your daily briefing for Tuesday, June 13, 2017. Translated by Javier Liendo.

Naky Soto

The TSJ’s Electoral Chamber rejected the nullification suit filed by Prosecutor General Luisa Ortega Díaz against the CNE, for approving Nicolás’ Constituyente and its electoral rules.

Ruling N° 65 dismisses the measure due to “an accumulation of inadequate intentions,” which means that the text contains “nullification lawsuits against decisions issued by two different public institutions.”

They also rejected the request for an injunction and the precautionary measure suspending the constituent process, because the appearance of right, the only requirement for a precautionary measure to be executed, was also dismissed.

The Electoral Chamber took over eight months the last time they dismissed a lawsuit, but this time it took them just four continuous days, while the case of Amazonas’ lawmakers has been collecting dust for 530 days.

The Prosecutor General denounced that her family has been threatened by the Secret Police (SEBIN): “I hold the Executive Branch responsible for whatever happens to my family, threatening them is unacceptable,” she said. This is a most serious accusation.

Express justices

Luisa Ortega Díaz filed a lawsuit challenging the sneaky appointments of 13 justices and 20 deputy justices, made by PSUV after December 2015 elections, but before their National Assembly term was over. Additionally, the Prosecutor General requested the voiding of the plenary sessions in which the appointments were made: “If the justices mentioned in the lawsuit don’t recuse themselves, I recuse them in full,” she said.

Ortega revealed that since the process was illegal, she never signed the notice of appointment or that of the secretary of the Republican Moral Council. And so, Luisa believes it’s necessary to appoint new justices “for the country’s sake,” because the TSJ offers no solutions, amping up the country’s crisis instead. She said she takes full responsibility for her actions and that her opinions are in compliance with the judicial order.

Later, NONEbudsman Tarek William Saab said that the Prosecutor General didn’t reject the justices’ credentials or appointment procedures back in 2015, but he didn’t say whether she signed the notice, or whether she was involved in the disgrace of supporting these justices’ appointments despite their inadequate credentials.

Then, the notice surfaced and it turns out the Prosecutor General really didn’t sign it.

Violence

Some people attended MUD’s call to reach TSJ headquarters to adhere to Luisa’s lawsuit against the Constituyente, despite the closed metro stations, public transportation strike and all the troops deployed near the place, blocking not only protesters but also neighbors’ free transit.

Once again, the National Guard and the PNB showed their tendency for inaction after chavistas arrived and not only used fireworks against dissidents and screamed at them, but also beat them, kicked them, ran them over with their motorcycles and even threatened to stab them.

Meanwhile, the Interior Ministry took over the Miranda state police due to their alleged involvement in human rights violations and criminal networks; this, just as they promise houses, cars and home appliances for GN and PNB if they keep repressing.

Last night, lawmaker José Manuel Olivares confirmed the death of Sócrates Salgado (50), due to respiratory arrest caused by the tear-gas used to disperse protests in Vargas state.

Miranda

Governor Henrique Capriles explained that after the takeover of Miranda state police, officers must now obey the government’s orders, cautioning policemen not to comply with any order that is unconstitutional. The governor dismissed any justification for the 180-day takeover, which he labelled a military abuse as it was led by Major General and Vice-minister Edylberto Molina, whom he blamed for ordering “all the atrocities we’ve seen over the last few weeks.”

The brass

Yesterday, major general Alexis López, member of the military High Command, former general commander of the Army and former head of Casa Militar, resigned from the Secretariat of the Council for the Defense of the Nation (CODENA) due to his disagreement with Nicolás’ Constituyente. Considering his service record, post and influence, his resignation is a serious blow to Maduro. Whether it echoes the Army’s stance or not, we’ll find out in the coming days.

Meanwhile, the AN’s Defense and Security Committee reported that they summoned Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López and GN commander Antonio Benavides Torres to appear before Parliament on Wednesday, June 14th, to answer for all the violations and abuses committed by State security forces during protests.

The strange case of the DEM

For some reason, while all opposition marches have been brutally dispersed by the GN and the PNB, they never quite manage to prevent any assaults on the Judiciary Executive Directorate (DEM) headquarters in Chacao, allowing destruction and fires, duly recorded on video for later accusations. Yesterday, the highest authority of law in Venezuela, TSJ head Maikel Moreno, said that Chacao was no-man’s land, so he decided to move the DEM from its current building, which was later looted, justifying the use of tear-gas all over the municipality. It’s bizarre that security forces never prevent this kind of vandalism, which only benefits the government.

The villain of the day

It’s hard to pick between Diosdado Cabello selling the Constituyente as the guarantee for new humiliations; Ramón Rodríguez Chacín claiming that Oriana Wadskier, the girl who was run down by an IVSS driver, “jumped in front of the vehicle”; Ernesto Villegas saying that “only truth will enable us to find spaces for peace and dialogue”; Elías Jaua and his text “Who are the murderers?” and Social Security asshole Carlos Rotondaro, saying that there’s no humanitarian crisis but they’re looking for medicine providers that can sell them in bolívares due to lack of dollars, while transplant patients are at risk of losing their organs because they can’t find the required medication.

…

This Monday, Spanish authorities detained a Venezuelan ship loaded with 1.2 tons of cocaine, the second such detention in barely a month, a sad export.

Honors to the amazing (and erased) Tweet by PDVSA explaining why we lost the U-20 World Cup.

Naky Soto

Naky gets called Naibet at home and at the bank. She coordinates training programs for an NGO. She collects moments and turns them into words. She has more stories than freckles.

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