Caracas Chronicles

• HRW called Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua the dictatorships that solidified their power in 2020 and that are “stronger than ever”.  They condemned these governments for their track record on human rights violations and for making 2020 one of the worst years in the last three decades regarding the protection of these rights. Vivanco called Venezuela one of the “most dramatic cases in the region, by “eliminating the last democratic institution in the country,” speaking about the National Assembly. He also highlighted that the UN and the ICC have established that crimes against humanity have been committed in the country. HRW said that even though Nicolás keeps a repressive regime, he’s a lot more isolated. 
• NGO Médicos Unidos de Venezuela reported that two doctors died of COVID-19 from January 7th to January 18th: Dr. Vicente Rojo in Barquisimeto, Dr. Carlos Aponte in Falcón, and Dr. Carlos Camargo died in Táchira on the 13th. 
• On his show Con el Mazo Dando, Diosdado Cabello ordered an investigation against Provea, director Rafael Uzcátegui, for a tweet saying that the PSUV had also benefited from funds of the British government. Cabello said that NGOs get resources used by superpowers to destabilize nations.  Provea posted on Twitter evidence of the PSUV benefiting from the international cooperation that “they criminalize so much”. Cabello attacked activists Marino Alvarado (Provea) and Rocío San Miguel (Control Ciudadano).
• The Observatorio Venezolano de Conflictividad Social reported the death of Eduardo Castillo during a protest for food, in the Ricaurte municipality in Cojedes. 
• ULA’s Human Rights Observatory counted 223 crimes against 13 Venezuelan universities from March to December 2020. 
• Timoteo Zambrano proposed megaelections for governors, mayors, regional deputies and councilmen in December. Journalist Eugenio Martínez said the proposal wasn’t achievable since the Municipal Branch Law establishes that local elections can’t be held at the same time as other public offices.
• Caricom expressed concern for Venezuelan statements and decrees about Guyana. They expressed their disappointment for chavismo’s position, their support for the process in the ICJ and for Guyana’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. 
• “Russia will keep politically supporting Venezuela in the spirit of strategic association,” said Alexandr Schetinin, director of Latin American Affairs for the Russian Foreign Minister. He expects Nicolás’s AN “will become a representative platform for constructive dialogue between all political forces.” 

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Azul Positivo is an organization that’s been working on sex education, HIV prevention, gender violence prevention and humanitarian aid for 16 years. Five of its workers have been isolated since they were arrested on Tuesday, January 12th, after a DGCIM raid. They don’t know what the charges against them are and they haven’t allowed lawyers or family members to see them.