Briefing

Towards the Illegalization of Voluntad Popular

The Maduro regime gathers elements to make illegal the political party in which Juan Guaidó was a member until recently, and says that it knew that there would be no incidents regarding the Iranian gas ships that entered the country.

Naky Soto

Photo: Retrieved Yuri Cortez / AFP / Getty Images

  • Ignoring all demonstrations of chavismo’s state terrorism, ANC-imposed prosecutor general presented before the Supreme Tribunal of Justice a measure to interpret articles 31 and 32 of the Law Against Organized Crime and Terrorism Funding, to determine if political party Voluntad Popular (VP) is a terrorist organization and if it’s subject to sanctions and dissolution. VP was Juan Guaidó’s party until a few months ago. Tarek William Saab let us see severe prejudice against the organization which allows us to guess the results his request will yield. 
  • Voluntad Popular answered saying “those who are accused and wanted abroad for terrorism and drug trafficking, who are friends with the FARC, the ELN, Hezbollah, drug cartels and are turning Venezuela into a promoter of international terrorism,” are attacking the party. They assure that this isn’t only an attack against VP, but will go after everyone until there’s only one party. 
  • Several political organizations and personalities rejected Saab’s request to the TSJ, and expressed their support for Voluntad Popular, reiterating the importance of working for the restitution of democracy. This includes Spain’s Workers’ Socialist Party, which is, as VP, a member of the Socialist International.
  • In the last 24 hours, 56 new cases of coronavirus were confirmed, reported on Monday Nicolás’s Communications minister, Jorge Rodríguez, for a total of 1,177 cases in the country. He said 10 cases are “local” and 42 of them arrived from Colombia and Brazil, in addition to four health workers who were in contact with the returning migrants. Rodríguez emphasized that out of the local cases, eight are residents of Maracaibo. Even though he said that the dangerous epicenter in the Las Pulgas municipal market is more serious than Nueva Esparta, he didn’t threaten the Maracaibo mayor or the governor of Zulia. Those are the privileges of being in the same party. 
  • “This ship will forever be in the memory of the people, the Fortune. How lucky we are to have Iran’s support right now!” said Tareck El Aissami from El Palito refinery, in a poetic muse attack that struck him for the achievement of paying with gold (and  upfront) for Iran’s gas, and additives and parts for maintenance. The Fortune arrived at El Palito refinery port. At the same time,  Reuters said that Venezuela’s refinery network increased in May its figures to 215,000 bpd, after registering 110,000 bpd in March, after the arrival of parts in Mahan Air flights, said three sources. Allegedly, with the additives and parts El Aissami announced, they’ll increase their refining capacity again. 
  • The GNB repressed store owners protesting around the Las Pulgas market in Maracaibo, who were demanding to take their inventory with them. Spectacular strategists of the GNB decided to use tear gas amid a pandemic of a virus that directly attacks the respiratory system. 
  • There were many protests in Caracas for lack of water. Some people have gone without service for a month and a half. The tone of protests has changed, it’s now desperation: because of the gas shortage, the price of water trucks is more expensive every day and in dollars, of course, right when the economy is paralyzed. People demand water supply on their pipes, straight to their homes because they can’t afford the service in dollars, because going from almost free water to a de facto privatization of the sector is absurd.  Rafael Betancourt, director of minister Reverol’s office, was in the protest in San Bernardino and said that the water issue is a structural problem. 
  • Bolívar governor, Justo Noguera, said that “they’re repairing all morgues” and their incinerators, because that’s the protocol for patients who die of COVID-19. 
  • According to Iván Simonovis, commissioner for security and intelligence of the caretaker government, they have infiltrated colectivo La Piedrita and located Colombian guerrila leader Jesús Santrich at 23 de Enero slum, even though Nicolás’s regime has said that there are no FARC members in Venezuela. Simonovis said that FARC is in eight Venezuelan states, especially Apure and Bolívar. Santrich escaped Colombian justice in June 2019. 
  • Nicolás Defense minister, Vladimir Padrino López, said that they knew everything was under control upon the arrival of the Iranian tanker: “The operation against drug trafficking in the Caribbean that had been announced turned out to be in the Pacific, (…) We knew there wasn’t a threat,” he said. 
  • Miguel Pizarro rejected the regime’s attacks against returning migrants: “We informed Antonio Guterres, UN secretary general and Filippo Grandi, high commissioner for refugees, our concern for Nicolás’s statements (…) who not only estigmatized returning Venezuelans but now attacks UNHCR,” he said. 
  • There have been 5.4 million coronavirus cases in the world and over 346,200 deaths, according to Johns Hopkins. The U.S. is an epicenter of the pandemic, with over 1.6 million cases and almost 100,000 deaths. Brazil has had 374,900 cases and over 23,000 deaths. Peru registers 129,979 cases and 3,629 deaths. Colombia has had 21,981 cases and 750 deaths. 

 

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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