Briefing

Cuba Libre

Cubans suffered repression, which started this weekend with harassment of the organizers and promoters of the peaceful protest, journalists and activists.

Naky Soto

Photo: CNN

  • On Monday, Cubans suffered repression, which started this weekend with harassment of the organizers and promoters of the peaceful protest, journalists and activists. The repression by Miguel Díaz Canel’s regime included internet blackouts, militarizing the streets and surveillance with political police and arrests. Cubans demand democracy and the release of political prisoners. That was enough reason for the regime to not give the corresponding “permits” for the march today, even though the UN and France asked for the respect of the legitimate right to peaceful protest. This time, repression was selective. The Cuban system is corrupt and inefficient, but it’s had advantages like the inaction and complicity of a large part of the international community. There hasn’t been nearly enough information on what happened today.  
  • The Colombian government expelled two Venezuelan citizens, Gleimer Alexander Nazaret y Marcos Dávila García, after Colombian intelligence reports said that they gathered strategic information and recruited young people to vandalize during protests. The information said that the network has been operating for two years, doing work for the DGCIM. According to the newspaper El Tiempo, they’re both part of the GNB and have been trained by Cuba and Russia. Other sources claim thatDávila is part of CONAS and DGCIM and Nazaret worked for the Ministry of Communes. 
  • The National Electoral Council (CNE) didn’t approve the request to change the MUD spot on the ballot for Miranda governor. Board member Roberto Picón explained that “the votes for governor for the MUD card will be null and the rest of the votes on the card will be valid.” He was invited to practice how to vote on the Cómovotar2021.com website. He said that the board will evaluate the resignation of several candidates. He added that a situation like Carlos Ocariz’s hadn’t happened before. 
  • Former CNE board member Andrés Caleca said this decision on Ocariz’s resignation being “out of the deadline” leaves MUD without a candidate in Miranda is illegal because it violates Art. 62 of the Electoral Law. 
  • The Venezuelan Electoral Observatory insisted that the CNE hasn’t informed the public on the ways to elect candidates, so they’re prioritizing choosing one single card for all the positions. There are several difficulties when using this so-called “crossed vote” because it’s complex to vote for four jobs at once. 
  • Electoral observers from Tunisia, Benin and Indonesia arrived yesterday.
  • The president of the Student Council Federation of the USB and the head of the Professors Association presented a request for the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, to achieve internal elections are done as established by the law, honoring university autonomy. 
  • A GNB officer detained photographer Carlos Debiais García in Falcón for allegedly flying a drone around the Amuay refinery on Friday. After he was detained, his home was raided and they took electronic equipment, said NGO Espacio Público.
  • After the debate on how pertinent the propaganda exercise of beating the record of the world’s largest orchestra was, some members of El Sistema denounced mistreatment and having to endure conditions like proper lack of food for children and teenagers in attendance. 
  • Venezuela’s had 792 deaths of healthcare personnel of COVID-19, said NGO Médicos Unidos. Official spokespeople reported a total of 5,026 patients have died in the country. 
  • Juan Carlos Martínez La Rosa’s body was found in the Guaire River. He was 31 years old and had disappeared on Saturday. Two teenagers, 12 and 15 years old, were found in the river yesterday, too. They had been beaten and thrown into the river. They were taken to El Llanito Hospital.
  • The president of the Asociación Venezolana de la Industria Química y Petroquímica, Guillermo Wallis, insisted on eliminating the exoneration of tax fees on imported products because it causes problems when competing with domestic products that pay taxes. 
  • Alex Saab pleads not guilty to money laundering charges. His lawyer Neil Schuster introduced himself as the “representative of the Venezuelan diplomat.” 
  • Spanish newspaper ABC reported that DGCIM arrested the nanny of Hugo “El Pollo” Carvajal’s children upon her return to Venezuela. They also arrested a cousin of Carvajal’s wife and they were charged with conspiracy to attack the elections. 
  • The EU decided to extend until November 2022 the individual sanctions on 55 officials of Maduro’s regime. The group includes Delcy Rodríguez, Diosdado Cabello, Remigio Ceballos, Douglas Rico, Néstor Reverol and seven TSJ justices. Some of them have been tied to acts of torture that still haven’t been prosecuted in Venezuela.

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.

Related