Caracas Chronicles

SEBIN arrested two of the TSJ justices newly appointed by the National Assembly in Anzoátegui: Jesús Rojas Torres, head of the Electoral Chamber, and Zuleima González, deputy for the Constitutional Chamber.

Lechería major Gustavo Marcano didn’t attend the hearing for which he was summoned by the Constitutional Chamber because the only justices he recognizes are the ones appointed by Parliament. Therefore, the Constitutional Chamber declared him in contempt, barred him from running for office, ordered his arrest, sentenced him to 15 months in prison and decided that he’ll be held in SEBIN Caracas. Marcano’s still banned from leaving the country.

Chacao major Ramón Muchacho’s hearing is scheduled for today.

More TSJ

The Constitutional Chamber also barred Alfredo Ramos, major of Iribarren municipality, Lara state, summoning him for a hearing, same as Marcano and Muchacho. Ramos said yesterday afternoon:

You can guess his fate.

Last night, chief justice Maikel Moreno said that the lawyers who ignore the TSJ must be permanently banned from practicing in judicial instances, because lawyers must respect the country’s Judicial System, the Constitution and laws (like he does) and no lawyer may participate in invalid acts disregarding judicial authorities.

From CNE

Wearing a military colored shirt, the woman who blocked the recall referendum and gubernatorial elections denounced the harassment against the honorable Plan República. Tibisay Lucena confirmed the CNE’s security measures for this Sunday’s election, in the form of threats.

In order to prove the threats are real, Zodi Táchira commander, Carlos Yánes Figueredo, reported that he arrested three young men “for violating the security perimeter around Unidad Educativa Villalobos.” A national hero.

Interior minister Reverol confirmed that over 140,000 police officers are working with Plan República.

Más de 140 mil policías se suman al Plan República, confirma el ministro Reverol #25Jul pic.twitter.com/U3GAtjeFC2

— Observatorio de Conflictos (@OVCSocial) July 25, 2017

So malandros will be able to rob people at leisure, far from polling stations.

Sanctions

The list of 10 Venezuelan officials that senators Marco Rubio and Bob Menéndez gave president Donald Trump for potential sanctions before the Constituyente’s election was released Yesterday. These are:

1. Tibisay Lucena
2. Iris Varela
3. Tarek William Saab
4. National Treasurer Carlos Malpica Flores
5. Jesús Suárez Chourio, Commander of the Army
6. PNB chief Carlos Pérez Ampueda
7. Simón Zerpa Delgado, Finance Vice-president in PDVSA
8. Carlos Osorio Zambrano, Head of ZODI
9. Food minister Rodolfo Marco Torres
10. Rocco Albisini, head of CENCOEX

No expert in the area can guess why the list was released before sanctions are applied. The rest of us don’t understand the absence of more relevant henchmen.

Economic collapse

The IMF estimates a 12% drop in Venezuela’s economy this year, saying that our situation’s dramatic, in this tough mixture of recession, violent political crisis and an inflation that could reach 720% this year.

Venezuela’s GDP dropped by 18% in 2016 and is expected to contract another 12% this year. For 2018, the IMF expects it to decrease by 4.1%.

Fortunately, the Prosecutor’s Office summoned the daughter of comptroller general Manuel Galindo, accusing her of corruption. Mayra Galindo, head of the Comptroller’s Office’s Foundation for Health Care and Social Welfare Services, must attend the Prosecutor’s Office on August 10th.

NGO Transparencia Venezuela deserves praises for their work.

Here, in the country

While propaganda minister Villegas was distracted, pulling decontextualized phrases from a long interview given by former Spanish president Felipe González where he explains why he believes that Rodríguez Zapatero and his peers did a bad job, Zapatero himself denied the legitimacy of the interview published by the Chilean newspaper La Tercera, claiming that such conversation “has not taken place, either in person or by any other means.”

As to Foreign minister Samuel Moncada, he said he was dissatisfied with the statements issued by Colombia and Mexico, where they deny participating in a conspiracy along with the CIA. Sadly, he didn’t have enough time to reply to his counterparts at Mercosur, who announced they were expecting his comments on their proposals.

There, abroad

Yesterday, OAS head Luis Almagro appointed former International Criminal Court prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo, as Special Counsel for crimes against humanity. His task will be to analyze, study and discuss Venezuela’s situation with all interested parties and offer suggestions regarding the possible actions OAS could take. Since Venezuela ratified the Statute of Rome, the ICC has jurisdiction over events here.

Ocampo said:

VIDEO | Importante explicación de exFiscal Corte Penal Internacional sobre posibilidad que juzgue crímenes de lesa humanidad en #Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/QZOvT7Vl8k

— Mariano de Alba (@marianodealba) July 25, 2017

Read Moreno Ocampo’s curriculum, it’s spotless.

Infamy

The shots in every chavismo campaign event broadcast yesterday were so close that you could almost see the pores on the speakers’ faces. Diosdado promised revenge against dissidents: 10-year prison sentences, political disqualifications, investigations and the cancellation of parliamentary immunity. Cilia promised to change “the situation of anarchy” and Nicolás announced a huge event closing the campaign in avenida Bolívar on Tuesday.

There was no optimistic message from chavismo. Everything revolved around revenge and polarization. They invested considerable efforts in showing us that we don’t belong in our own country, that they want us out or dead, but never with them.

Sadly, Rodríguez Zapatero doesn’t listen to these speeches, perhaps even his own cynicism would be tempered by them.

…

Since this isn’t a country but an ongoing tragedy, be extremely careful in the days to come. The ruling clique only promises more repression and the first task while resisting them, is to keep ourselves alive and free.

Despite all of this, we go on.