Caracas Chronicles

• Gladys Gutiérrez was sworn in on Wednesday as the Chief Justice of the new Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ). Gutiérrez was a member of political party MVR, ran for governor of Nueva Esparta twice, was ambassador to Spain, and the Attorney General from 2006 to 2010. In 2010, she was appointed to the Constitutional Chamber of the TSJ until 2017. Later, she was a CNE board member, and an ambassador before the International Criminal Court. She’s sanctioned and several NGOs have expressed their concern and rejected the imbalance of this new TSJ. 
• Maduro met with the Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Ralph Gonsalves. He announced the first weekly CONVIASA flight and that Nicolás that this country’s debt, around 70 million dollars, had been forgiven. Madure promised to restart agreements with Petrocaribe with a 35% discount on the price of gas for participating countries and Gonsalves revealed that Venezuela will subtract 50% of the debt of other four countries in PetroCaribe, which amounts to around 370 million dollars. 
• Nicolás approved a special fund of 10 million bolivars (2.2 million dollars at the BCV currency exchange rate) for the emergency caused by the heavy rains that have affected several states in the country. He didn’t say where the money’s coming from, but that once the money is spent “it will be automatically renewed.” 
• Maduro’s Interior minister Remigio Ceballos reported that around 4,000 families were affected by the rains and that the system is on alert in eight areas of the country. 

ANC-imposed prosecutor general Tarek William Saab reported that a prosecutor was appointed to investigate FOSPUCA, the trash collection company, for their alleged participation in deforestation. So far, chavismo’s been indifferent to the deforestation in the country. 

• Humanitarian organizations sent a letter to Argentina’s President Alberto Fernández, requesting he asks for the release of political prisoners, in particular the freedom of activist 
• Javier Tarazona, president of FundaRedes, who’s been in jail even after his deteriorating health. They also asked him to work for the end of censorship, the criminalization of free press and defending human rights. 
• The Ombudsman’s Office assured before the International Ombudsmen Federation Assembly that the “progress” made in protecting the human rights of senior citizens in Venezuela includes the existence of social security, prioritizing seniors in vaccination programs against COVID-19 and the law that the National Assembly approved. Too bad they didn’t mention the pensions and the premature deaths. 
• Maduro promised to build new homes for the families affected by the floods caused by the rains in Catia.
• CEPAL had estimated a 2.1% growth for the region in January, but then stated growth was going to be 1.8% because of the war in Ukraine. They think Venezuela is going to grow by 5%, while Guyana will grow 49% because it’s the new “oil kingdom” in the region. 
• The U.S. said that even though they haven’t formally invited anyone to the American Summit in June, they think it’s unlikely the dictatorships of Cuba, Nicaragua, and Venezuela will get the privilege. Acting U.S. Secretary of State Brian A. Nichols emphasized that the U.S. doesn’t consider Nicolás a “democratic ruler.” 
• The president of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen said Russia uses natural gas as a “blackmail instrument.” 
• Russia confirmed that cutting gas won’t be an exception, but that they’ll do the same with every country that doesn’t pay in rubles. 
• Switzerland imposed new sanctions against Russia and vetoed carbon imports. 
• Chief Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan asked for Moscow’s collaboration and replying to the ICC’s requests.