Caracas Chronicles

Photo: Venezuelanalysis, retrieved.

• The Venezuelan Attorney General confirmed on Monday night that the IACHR is allowed to visit the country and confirm the human rights situation, a review backed by the OAS and the American Convention on Human Rights. IACHR president Esmeralda Arosemena de Troitiño, executive secretary Paulo Abrāo, and freedom of expression special representative Edison Lanza are part of the delegation. The visit will last five days and their agenda is focused on victims of serious human rights violations. 
• Diosdado Cabello said that the regime is indifferent to the delegation’s visit, but exhorted them to go to Chile (which they already did and published their recommendations), Colombia and the U.S.; he said that this delegation wants to meddle in our affairs and that they haven’t even delivered a statement regarding the alleged coup in Bolivia, adding that the regime left the OAS in April last year and therefore, it doesn’t exist in their eyes. Cabello also praised a special show on VTV honoring the activities of February 4th to celebrate the 28th anniversary of Hugo Chávez’s failed coup. He took the opportunity to back the CLAP deputies’ “investigation” on humanitarian aid funds and talked about unconfirmed additions to his party.
• CLAP deputy José Brito, accused of touring to clean up businessman Álex Saab’s reputation, said that the investigations about corruption in the handling of humanitarian aid funds will begin today. They will subpoena Juan Guaidó and several NGOs: “Venezuela has the right to know which NGOs received USAid funds.” He’s nothing but cynical. 
• The office of human rights attorney Jesús Berro was just raided. FAES detained him and his son and they haven’t told their lawyers the reasons for any of this. Berro helped in the cases against Maduro before the ICC and Provea condemned their arbitrary detention and reiterated that “forced disappearance is a crime against humanity”. 
• Trinidad and Tobago cancelled a domestic gas agreement  with Pdvsa because of the sanctions imposed by the U.S. on the company. 
• As if we had reasons to believe him, Nicolás’s health minister Carlos Alvarado said yesterday that the necessary equipment to detect the presence of coronavirus would be arriving to the country this week and the regime has deployed a prevention system to detect its main symptoms. He added that he created a committee prepared to respond to the pandemic, after the emergency decreed by the WHO on January 31st. Personnel at the Simón Bolívar International Airport has the protocols to identify potential cases, according to Alvarado, thanks to collaborations with the “Civil Aeronautics National Institute and the airlines”. Without explaining how or when, he said that this measure will be applied in other ports and airports in the country. He’ll also strengthen the epidemic surveillance system for respiratory disease, even though it’s been several years since they published the National Epidemic Bulletin. No cases of the coronavirus have been reported in Venezuela, he said. 
• The U.S. Justice Department confirmed that caretaker President Juan Guaidó is our country’s sole representative to their courts. They said that recognizing Guaidó includes supporting the mechanism the Attorney General uses to defend our country’s rights. He added that “those who represent Nicolás Maduro’s regime in court and in legal proceedings are exposed to sanctions under Executive Order 13884”.
• Former White House security advisor John Bolton congratulated Guaidó for his “successful tour.” He added that Maduro will leave the country sooner than later and when this happens, there will be justice and true economic growth. 
• Potential democratic candidate Michael Bloomberg showed his support for Guaidó and assured he’ll help Venezuela when the regime changes: “Know that when Maduro’s government falls, we’ll support your efforts to rebuild a free, prosperous and democratic Venezuela,” said the former mayor of NYC. 
• Spanish Transport Minister José Luis Ábalos re-appeared on Monday after the scandal caused by his meeting with Delcy in Barajas, because an Air Canada plane had to fly over the site for over four hours with a damaged tire and part of its landing gear. The plane carried 130 people and burned enough fuel to be able to land without an accident. 
• The coronavirus epidemic: The Chinese government said that 425 people have died, that’s 64 new deaths. Hong Kong announced they’d be closing most of their checkpoints at the border. Vietnam confirmed three new cases, eight in total. The U.S., Canada and Russia are evacuating citizens. Moldavia forbade flights from China. Brazil declared a public health emergency to bring in 40 Brazilian citizens who are in Wuhan, while the Chinese community in Spain launched the #IAmNotAVirus campaing to prevent xenophobia and prejudice because of the virus.

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George Steiner died at 90 years old. An American intellectual, essay writer and literary critic of German origins, he’s considered a brilliant author and a fundamental name in comparative literature studies. Lessons of the Masters (his ode to pedagogy), The Books I’ve Never Written (at least seven, up until the moment he wrote this one) and The Deep End of the Ocean (tough book), are three I dare recommend out of the dozens of books he did write.