Venezuela: repression without limits | News

Nicolas Maduro He declared himself for his third term in Venezuela, after a process marred by allegations of fraud and without the recognition of a large part of the international community. His assumption as president, after the July 28 elections, was supported by an institutional system completely dominated by Chavismo and by Armed Forces loyal to the regime, factors that have turned his continuity in power into an imposition rather than an act. legitimate.

The elections were opaque from the beginning. Ripe claimed victory on the same election night, ignoring the evidence presented by the oppositionwhich show that the real winner was Edmundo González Urrutiaby an overwhelming margin. These complaints were supported by international observers such as the Carter Center, which described the elections as undemocratic, dismantling the official narrative. However, the institutions controlled by Chavismo have ignored the accusations, facilitating Maduro’s takeover in an act repudiated by the democracies of the region and the world.

The international isolation of the regime was evidenced in an investiture ceremony attended only by Miguel Díaz-Canel, from Cuba, and Daniel Ortega, from Nicaragualeaders of authoritarian governments allied with Venezuela. For their part, Gabriel Boric and Gustavo Petro have openly condemned Maduro, classifying him as a dictator, and marking a break with the historical complicity of certain sectors of the regional left.

harder

The new mandate began with worrying signs. The temporary detention of the opposition leader Maria Corina Machado on the eve of the inauguration, as well as the increase in arrests of dissidents, show that the regime is willing to intensify its strategy of repression. This dynamic of political persecution generates a climate of intimidation that seeks to suffocate any attempt at opposition mobilization, while leaving a clear message: there will be zero tolerance for those who challenge Chavismo.

The legitimate opponent Edmundo Gonzalezwho promised to return to Caracas to assume the position that the polls granted him, postponed his trip due to the lack of security guarantees. Meanwhile, the opposition bases, battered by years of frustration, face a crossroads: maintain resistance or leave the country permanently.

Photogallery The president of Argentina, Javier Milei, and the leader of the Venezuelan opposition, Edmundo González Urrutia, greet their supporters gathered in the Plaza de Mayo.

The danger of this new period of Maduro lies in Venezuela’s international isolation, which pushes him to govern with his back to the world. With redoubled sanctions and increasingly forceful diplomatic rejection, the regime could radicalize its internal repression to consolidate power. For Venezuelans, this implies a worsening of political persecutionan even deeper deterioration of human rights and the possibility of a worsening humanitarian crisis.

Process

The regime of Nicolás Maduro has abandoned any semblance of democracy, unleashing a wave of brutal repression that demonstrates its desperation but also the terror that is possible now that the last mask has been removed. After assuming a new questioned mandate, Chavismo has intensified its repressive actions, resorting to arbitrary arrests and mass kidnappings as a method of intimidation. Machado denounced that at least 30 people were kidnapped by security forces after a mobilization on January 9.

Corina Machado

The opposition leader pointed out that the repressive operations occurred in various regions of the country, including Portuguesa, Táchira, Bolívar, Zulia and Caracas, among others. “In its desperation, the regime has nothing left but to attack brave citizens.”he stated. She also recounted the case of a young collaborator who was shot and kidnapped while escorting her on a motorcycle after an opposition rally.

Machado herself was briefly detained by agents of the Bolivarian National Police, who violently intercepted her while she was leaving Caracas. According to her, she was forced to get on a motorcycle between two armed men, who initially took her to a prison, but later received the order to release her. Before I let her go, They demanded that he record a video as proof of life. This episode, in his opinion, reflects the “deep internal contradictions of the regime”, which operates in an erratic and disorganized manner.

The brutality of the Chavista regime, symbolized by these arbitrary arrests and kidnappings, points to a worsening of repression that seeks to stifle any resistance. With the international community rejecting Maduro’s mandate and increasing sanctions against its government, Venezuela is at a critical point.

Photogallery Members of the Bolivarian Militia and government supporters raise assault rifles while participating in a demonstration during a swearing-in march of the fighting forces in Venezuela

The absence of internal counterweights and global isolation have freed the regime from any restraint, allowing it to act with increasingly unbridled violence. For Venezuelans, all that remains is to resist a regime that is increasingly authoritarian and addicted to its troops.

Army

Faced with growing international isolation and renewed threats of military intervention, President Nicolás Maduro has chosen to strengthen his alliance with the authoritarian regimes of Cuba and Nicaraguaconsolidating a militarization strategy in response to external criticism. During the closing of the second World Festival of the Anti-Fascist International, the Chavista leader warned that he is willing to “take up arms” alongside his allies to defend his government.

“We are preparing together with Cuba and Nicaragua so that, if one day we have to take up arms and defend the right to peace and sovereignty, we will fight the battle and win it again. We are not lukewarm leaders, we are the Bolivarian revolution,” Maduro stated in a direct message to those who criticize him from abroad.

Venezuela

These statements arise in response to calls from figures such as Álvaro Uribe and Iván Duque, former presidents of Colombia, who have requested an international military intervention to put an end to the Chavista regime. Uribe even suggested that this intervention should be backed by the United Nations, while Duque warned of a possible “humanitarian crisis of alarming proportions” if Maduro remains in power.

In his verbal onslaught, Maduro challenged Uribe calling him a “coward” and challenging him: “You come to the front of the troops. “I’ll wait for you on the battlefield.” These words reinforce the position of a president who, far from seeking dialogue, toughens his rhetoric and relies on the support of the Armed Forces as a pillar of his continuity. However, far from appearing weakened, the president has responded with a strategy that combines internal repression and the militarization of his regime.

Internally, the situation remains precarious. Despite slight improvements in some economic indicators, More than 50% of Venezuelans live below the poverty lineand an average family needs 140 minimum wages to cover a basic food basket. These figures underline the economic fragility facing the country, while the regime redoubles efforts to silence any type of opposition.
Maduro seems determined to stay in power at any cost, embracing a narrative of anti-imperialist resistance that seeks to justify repression and his alliance with his few remaining partners in the region.

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