Caracas Chronicles

• Yesterday, the government announced that there’s a weather alert due to the tropical storm that started today, winds of up to 60 km per hour, and rains. Sucre, Anzoátegui, Nueva Esparta, Miranda, Vargas, Aragua, Carabobo, Falcón, Zulia, and the Capital District could be severely affected. Protect doors and windows, prepare a first aid kit, unplug appliances, and be aware that the rain could cause floods; protect seniors, children, and pets. While we’re not completely out of the woods, it seems that the storm will leave no major damage behind.
• The secretary general of the Unitary Platform Omar Barboza announced that the opposition primaries will take place in 2023 and assured the process will be inclusive and transparent. “We’ll defend Venezuelans’ right to vote wherever they are,” he insisted. The process will be organized by a national electoral commission. 
• In addition, the Unitary Platform assured that they haven’t been invited to any meetings with the U.S. delegation in the country that’s meeting with the regime. “We respect any agenda that the U.S. government would wish to push,” said Omar Barboza.

Monómeros announced that the OFAC renewed its license until 2023. 

The Prime Minister of Bahamas Phillip Davis, exhorted the U.S. to lift sanctions blocking Venezuela from importing oil to the Caribbean in order to alleviate the impact in the region because of the high prices. 

After one and a half years, a Zulia court granted activists of NGO Azul Positivo their freedom. They didn’t impose any measures and they let the public know of their institution’s transparency. Investigating and sanctioning the people who tortured these humanitarian workers is fundamental. 

After the article published by the Washington Post last week, denouncing sexual violence against Venezuelan children and teenagers perpetrated by members of the Catholic church, over 60 NGOs signed a communique condemning the actions and demanding the CEV sanction the perpetrators.

Six women have died in the maternity ward of the Eugenio Pérez De Bellard General Hospital in Guatire in the last two months for alleged medical malpractice and negligence. 

About the Emtrasur-Conviasa, YV-3531, that the Argentinean authorities have kept under custody for two weeks, Security Minister Aníbal Fernández confirmed that they received information from foreign agencies against the aircraft and highlighted that the property documents aren’t clear and they don’t know who owns the plane, Mahan Air, Fars Air Qeshm or Emtrasur. The Chilean Ministry of Interior requested that the session of the defense commission where she’ll be interrogated for this case be held in secret. Iranian citizen Asan Azad was arrested on Friday in Uruguay, he had a Venezuelan passport. 

Josef Schuetz, 101 years old and former guard of a Nazi concentration camp was sentenced to five years in jail. He was charged with being an accomplice in the deaths of over 3,500 people. Remember that crimes against humanity have no statute of limitations. 

The President-elect of Colombia, Gustavo Petro, said that his government will respect the rights of Venezuelans in exile. He also said that Venezuelans would be better off if they negotiated and had a dialogue. Oh, of course, nobody had thought of that.