The dictatorship is closing its ranks. It has nothing left but the use of force.
Venezuela has reached the limits of civility, politics and diplomacy after a presidential election that the United Nations and the Carter Center said lacked transparency and integrity.
Opposition candidate Edmundo González Urrutia defeated socialist dictator Nicolás Maduro in a landslide, with nearly 4 million votes between the two candidates, the largest margin in the history of any election in the country. To prove these results, the opposition party carried out a nearly clandestine scheme for months to obtain and submit the vote counts for all to see.
This data unequivocally exposed the fraud implemented and ratified by the National Electoral Council (CNE) and the Supreme Court aligned with the Maduro regime. Now the dictatorship, the world and Venezuelans know the truth.
Faced with these facts, the regime has decided to increase the brutal repression that Venezuelans have faced for years. A month after the election, 27 people were killed by security forces and armed groups supported by Chavismo; almost 1,700 people have been illegally detained, including 107 teenagers and 216 women. They are being held in regular prisons with real criminals, while facing severe torture and suspected sexual violence.
In addition, the Military Counterintelligence Agency launched an operation targeting anyone who worked on the opposition campaign or showed support for González or his colleague and opposition leader, María Corina Machado, on social media. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has defined these savage practices as state terrorism.
After 25 years of Chavista dictatorship, it was predictable that Maduro would reject election results that were not favorable to him, despite the opposition securing the largest victory in the country’s history.
During the campaign, members of the regime were offered amnesty and a safety net if they conceded defeat, but they appear to have decided to remain with Maduro and hold on to power through force, despite being overwhelmingly rejected by the people. To ensure their survival, Hugo Chávez’s successor recently appointed Diosdado Cabello as minister of the interior and justice, and issued an illegal arrest warrant for President-elect Edmundo González.
Cabello is the most bloodthirsty member of the regime. He is sanctioned by the United States, Canada and the European Union for organizing and exporting drugs to Europe through Venezuelan rivers and airports.
In his first 24 hours as security chief, he ordered the kidnapping of Machado’s lawyer, Perkins Rocha, and illegally detained political leader Biaggio Pillieri after a peaceful protest on August 28.
Maduro has ordered the construction of new prisons to accommodate the influx of political prisoners and has retained Russian ally Vladimir Padrino López as defense minister in his new cabinet. Maduro, Padrino López — who has been defense minister since 2014 — and other members of the regime have been sanctioned and charged by the U.S. government for allegedly partnering with Colombia’s FARC rebels to “flood” the U.S. with cocaine.
The dictatorship is closing ranks. It has no choice but to use force. Venezuela is governed by security forces and irregular armed groups. A nation where illicit activities account for 21% of the economy. A nation ruled by a drug cartel that controls oil refineries, gas fields, gold mines, electricity and all public infrastructure. If this criminal network prevails, a new wave of migration will be inevitable (almost 8 million Venezuelans have already been displaced) and more cartels and gangs will be exported to other countries. The security and stability of the region will be threatened.
In this context, neutrality regarding the ongoing crisis in Venezuela is complicity in Maduro’s crimes.
Urgent action must be taken to punish the regime. Individual sanctions must be imposed on those responsible for human rights violations. The International Criminal Court (ICC), which has been investigating members of the regime for more than five years, must issue arrest warrants for those who committed crimes against humanity.
The United Nations is expected to include on its agenda for this month’s General Assembly meeting the ongoing crisis that Venezuela has been suffering at the hands of a small elite that does not want to cede power after losing an election.
There have been times in the past when the opposition has been criticized for not being united and for boycotting elections. Some have even said that the democratic resistance was violent, despite taking to the streets peacefully.
Today, there are no excuses. The vast majority of Venezuelans bravely voted for change in an environment of strong repression and social control. A nation that was polarized is now hijacked. The world must act before it is too late for the Venezuelan people.
©2024 National Review. Published with permission. Original in English: Venezuela’s Government Has Taken Its People Hostage
#Venezuelan #dictatorship #people #hostage
