Briefing

When Harassment Is Politicized There’s No Justice

Tarek William Saab reported he’s opening investigations against several people from the entertainment industry. The fact that political persecution is being used as a consequence of an agenda that needs more institutionality is very serious.

Naky Soto
  • ANC-imposed prosecutor general Tarek William Saab reported he’s opening investigations against several people from the entertainment industry, like Alejandro Sojo, Murachi Palomo y Tony Maestracci, for sexual abuse and violence against minors. He also mentioned theater directors Juan Carlos Ogando and José Pepe Arceo. Saab announced that he’ll investigate comedian José Rafael Briceño, and journalists César Batiz (editor of El Pitazo), and Víctor Amaya (editor of Tal Cual). The fact that political persecution is being used as a consequence of an agenda that needs more institutionality is very serious. 
  • Writer Willy McKey committed suicide on Thursday in Buenos Aires. He deleted all posts from his Instagram account, except three, where he admitted he had sexual intercourse with a minor 20 years younger. He decided to confess what he did and he then decided to commit suicide, a truly personal action that shouldn’t be attributed to the public’s reaction. Let’s remember: a victim of sexual violence isn’t responsible for their abuser’s actions. 
  • Saab reported that ten PDVSA workers were arrested for trafficking diesel fuel and gas in Zulia, with an estimated loss of 1.9 million lts of gas and 1 million lts. of diesel fuel. 
  • Jorge Rodríguez called for an extraordinary session of the AN on Monday, to elect the new CNE. Súmate denounced this process hasn’t been transparent or plural. 
  • Maduro said that he has a feeling that “the economy will grow and we’ll reach 5 million houses.” He didn’t mention any budget, plans or actual construction, just feelings and promises. 
  • The National Academy of Medicine asked the regime that the vaccine brought to the country meets international standards in security and efficacy, referring to the Cuban medicine that isn’t backed by science. They reiterated their commitment to help authorities with evaluating the vaccine that must be brought into the country. 
  • Efecto Cocuyo told the story of family members of COVID-19 patients that had to assist them with manual ventilation at the Dr. Manuel Núñez Tovar University Hospital in Maturín, when there was no electricity. 
  • On Thursday, there was a clash between the Indigenous population on Jivi and FARC dissidents in Bolívar, where the guerrillas control gold mines. In 2018, the Indigenous communities gave way to the guerrillas in order to get rid of the  “Sindicato”, a criminal group controlling mines that have already murdered Indigenous leaders. No media outlet has been able to accurately provide a number of casualties today, but it’s between four and 12 people. 
  • Political prisoner Gerardo Carrero was released yesterday. He’s Andreína Baduel’s husband, the daughter of military-political prisoner Raúl Isaías Baduel.
  • Omar Bautista, president of the Venezuelan Chamber of Automotive Manufacturers revealed that only one vehicle has been assembled in Venezuela this year. He said it’s been a 99.9% drop in production in the last decade, the sector went from assembling 104,357 vehicles in a year to 107 during the pandemic. 
  • Luis Saab Rada, Alex Saab’s father, died of COVID-19. Saab’s mother died nine days ago. 
  • “The severity of what’s happening in Venezuela is that Nicolás Maduro’s regime has used the Armed Forces to intervene in the FARC’s inner conflict,” said Tomás Guanipa during a press conference in Madrid. He said that Maduro supported the guerrilla group led by Jesús Santrich, which is fighting other dissident factions. 
  • U.S. senators Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio presented a draft law that would allow using the frozen funds of corrupt Venezuelan citizens tied to the regime, to help the Venezuelan crisis. This law, which is called PANA, would allow assets to be put towards the Venezuela Restauration Fund and would be used by the Department of State to rebuild democracy. 
  • Pope Francis mentioned the suffering of Venezuelans that have gotten worse because of the pandemic and asked for unity and reconciliation for the sake of the country in his message for José Gregorio Hernández’s beatification. Francis spoke of all Venezuelans who have left the country seeking a better life, those who are in prison and those who lack the most basic things to survive. 

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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