Caracas Chronicles

At least 11 dead, over 278 detentions and a lot of tear gas. That’s the summary of the repression in Venezuela in the past two days. 

The numbers were updated by Alfredo Romero, Executive Director of Foro Penal, a NGO that offers pro-bono assistance. Two of the killed were underage: one 16-year-old from Yaracuy and one kid who turned 15 on Sunday, election day. Although he didn’t specify numbers, he said that there’s also “an important number of people hurt by bullets, it is hard to check. But we’re in a human rights crisis”.

About the detentions, Romero explained that Distrito Capital was the state with the highest number: 38. In second and third place were Barinas and Zulia, with 27 and 19, respectively. These numbers were until 3:00, so by the time of publication of this text, they are probably higher. 

But Tarek William Saab, the General Prosecutor, had a way higher number: 749. Saab said that they all are “delinquents” and that they are gonna be prosecuted for terrorism and hate instigation. 

Vladimir Padrino López, the Defense Minister, said that sargento primero José Antonio Torres Blanca was killed by a bullet in his neck in Aragua. It is unclear if he is on Foro Penal’s list. Padrino López also said that 23 members of the military and 25 police officers were hurt. 

Another number that is probably higher by now is the sheer number of protests. By Tuesday noon the Observatorio Venezolano de Conflictividad Social counted over 300, and at least 115 of them were repressed by colectivos, “acting in coordination or with the acquiescence of officials of the State security forces.” During the first day, Laboratorio de Paz –a peace culture think tank– geolocalized 210 spontaneous protests: which is likely an understatement. 

During the day reports of repression came from almost every place where demonstrations were called. Protestors in Chacao were met with tear gas and pellet shots. Similar things happened in Amazonas, Vargas, Carabobo, Portuguesa… and la Colonia Tovar (although everything was peaceful over there). 

Detentions also came for politicians. Around 10:00 this morning, Voluntad Popular denounced that Freddy Superlano –its national coordinator– was taken by men in black in an SUV without any official identifications. The same thing happened in the afternoon hours with Ricardo Estévez, Vente Venezuela member and a technical assessor of the electoral process.

The ex-deputy Américo de Grazia also informed that Eudi Perroni, who was in charge of Edmundo Gonzále’z campaign in Tumeremo, was taken by members of the mining paramilitary group Los Rum. Encuentro Ciudadano also denounced its regional LGBTQI coordinator in Carabobo was detained and two of their activists in Barinas are missing. This text is being published at 8:00 pm and there’s still no information on any of them. 

Nicolás Maduro, who was proclaimed president this Monday without the National Electoral Council releasing the tallies, said that VenApp –the application Chavismo uses for their 1×10– is going to have a special tab where users can report protests in an anonymous way. “We’re gonna go after them so we can have justice.” 

Journalists aren’t safe either. The National Union of Press Workers (SNTP) recorded three journalists detained: Paul León (Trujillo), Yousner Alvarado (Barinas) and Joaquín De Ponte (Guárico). In Trujillo, Alexander González had his house shot by the Guardia Nacional and another one, Yuliana Palmar, had her phone stolen and was beaten. 

But problems with journalism didn’t start with the protests. Cake Minuesa, a Spanish journalist, was detained and sent back to his country on Sunday. 

Lexys Rendón, from Laboratorio de Paz, said that a journalist had their car burned down and another one their motorcycle damaged, but she didn’t specify where. 

Human rights organizations from around the world have come forward to talk about the situation. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights said that they’re going to do a visit to Venezuela to investigate those reports and exhort the government to safeguard “human rights, freedom of speech and the right to protest.”

Amnesty International said that they call “for the strictest protection of the human right to peaceful assembly. People who take to the streets exercising this right must not, under any circumstances, be repressed with excessive use of force.”

It is unclear what to expect next, but based on what Chavismo’s leaders had said, we’re probably gonna face a huge wave of detentions and repression in the upcoming days.