Caracas Chronicles

• On Wednesday, the family of former Minister and political prisoner Raúl Isaías Baduel demanded their right to see his body. His wife Cruz María de Baduel said that he didn’t have COVID and that “they killed him.” His daughter said “the regime killed him, tortured him and condemned him to a life of suffering and isolation for a decade.” His widow said that they’re forbidden to speak and weren’t authorized to attend his burial. Lawyer Omar Mora Tosta confirmed Baduel died in the cell he shared with his son Josnar Adolfo and captain Juan Carlos Caguaniparo. Mora said that  Josnar Baduel was threatened with torture if he didn’t record a video saying his father had died of COVID-19 and that he had received medical attention. Josnar refused. ANC-imposed Tarek William Saab insisted he died of respiratory arrest and said Baduel’s family was lying. The Office of the UNHCHR asked for an investigation. 
• Maduro’s foreign minister Félix Placencia asked the UN secretary-general and the High Commissioner for Human Rights for justice in the case of two Venezuelan teenagers murdered in Tibú, Colombia. 
• Delcy Rodríguez said that they’ll accuse Colombian president Iván Duque before the ICC for “extermination and persecution” against migrants. 
• On Tuesday, we learned that Josep Borrell ignored the advice of the delegation that came in July and said that there weren’t “minimal conditions” for an observation mission. On Wednesday, Borrell said that those against the electoral mission want to “dynamite it” and accused Juan Guaidó and Leopoldo López. He said that the mission is a guarantee of “a fair game.” 
• There were 46,000 deaths of COVID-19 last week, the lowest figure since November 2020 and the infection rate dropped 7%.
• PAHO warned about the increase of cases in Venezuela during the last few weeks and called on strengthening the pandemic response in the most affected areas, especially in places where other diseases like yellow fever have been reported. 
• FundaRedes activists’ preliminary hearing was supposed to take place yesterday but it was suspended for the fifth time. They were arbitrarily detained on June 2nd and the Tarazona brothers have COVID-19. His family demanded medical attention. They’re in prison at El Helicoide.
• Investigative journalist Roberto Deniz said that there’s a search warrant on his family’s home, despite them having precautionary measures issued by the IACHR.
• MAduro had an epiphany while he was broadcasting from a pharmaceutical company: “We should have the capacity to produce the medicine we need.” 

Economist Asdrúbal Oliveros estimated that by the end of the year the exchange rate will be between 7 and 11 bolivars per dollar and highlighted the pressure on the exchange the rate will be stronger because of the increase of public spending (in bolivars), due to the combination of the electoral campaign and the end of the year. Venezuela is the only country in the world under a hyperinflationary cycle.

•  Japanese company Inpex said that they completed the process of leaving Venezuela after leaving the heavy oil project PetroIndependencia, where they were working with PDVSA on the Orinoco Belt.
• Julio Borges questioned the route that Juan Guaidó and Voluntad Popular have established regarding the management of Monómeros. He applauded the decision of the Delegate Commission and said that they have to separate political parties of the handling of the assets and assured that “focusing the opposition” includes relaunching the Unidad 
•  Colombian President Iván Duque handed out the first TPS card for Venezuelan migrants, which allows them access to healthcare, education and jobs for ten years. 
• Porfirio Torres, who narrated one of the most important segments on Venezuelan radio, “Nuestro insólito universo” died at 81 years old.