Briefing

Another Inconsistent Report

Your daily briefing for Thursday, August 9, 2018. Translated by Javier Liendo.

Naky Soto
Photo: Globovisión

Imposed Prosecutor General Tarek William Saab said that three of the people arrested for the drone flight were presented before the 1st Court of Control with competence against terrorism. Argenis Valero, Juan Carlos Monasterios and José Rivas were indicted for the crimes of treason and frustrated murder. He added that the alleged financiers are abroad and they’re: Raider Russo and Oswaldo García (in Colombia) and Osman Delgado, in the U.S. So far there are 19 people linked with the case, including Brayan Oropeza, Alberto Bracho and Yanin Pernía, operators of the first drone, in addition to those indicted. Saab denied that the detainees are isolated. In his version, the drone that exploded near the presidential stage, did so 70 mts away, contradicting the version Nicolás gave this Tuesday, when he spoke of 100 mts.

Tarek’s flagrancy

Later, interviewed in Globovisión, Saab praised the official security, although he admitted that Bolívar Av. was a vulnerable spot, but Maikel Moreno calmed him down when he revealed there were snipers in nearby buildings. He denied the witch hunt because the people arrested “confessed and are convicted” and while explaining the case of lawmaker Juan Requesens he claimed: “In criminal law there’s a criminal type called flagrancy,” although flagrancy isn’t a category of crime.

He added that “the formal request before the TSJ was made within the terms and periods established by the Law,” except that he didn’t say when he made the request and based on what, but he did emphasize that the ANC is a supra-constitutional body, so it has authority on any matter it so pleases. Even more serious was that he diminished the concept of guarantee of justice because, in his view, the priority is that terrorism isn’t established as a policy.

A court tailor-made for power

In the Plenary Chamber, after a presentation by justice Maikel Moreno, the TSJ admitted the trial against Juan Requesens “after determining that there are enough conviction elements to permanently estimate the commission of crimes” (so far, a political accusation and the testimony of a detainee) ordering his custody while the ANC decides on stripping him from his parliamentary immunity.

Additionally, since these are common crimes, Requesens’s trials will be carried out before ordinary courts. In the case of lawmaker Julio Borges, the presentation by justice Juan Luis Ibarra establishes that “we see there are elements that compromise his responsibility in the flagrant commission of the crimes of: continued public instigation; treason and murder”; so the TSJ ruled that there’s no need for a preliminary hearing on merits. Julio Borges condemned Requesens’s arrest and called it a kidnapping, criticizing the event at the ANC, to strip them from their parliamentary immunity.

Supra-constitutional, ok?

Diosdado Cabello said at the end of the discussion that such arbitrary exercises, are cohesive for them “and convince us more every day that you (opposition) can’t govern this country (…) The more violence the opposition gets, the greater the revolution’s response.” After his inspiring message, the ANC unanimously approved stripping lawmakers Julio Borges and Juan Requesens off their parliamentary immunity, right before Cabello claimed: “They’re the first two marked by the investigation. Justice will reach anyone else who’s involved.” The rest of the extraordinary session was filled with the obsessive mention of the rope in the hanged man’s house: Pedro Carreño justified  the ANC’s role because “the National Assembly is in contempt”; Gladys Requena said that parliamentary immunity isn’t a privilege to commit crimes; Elvis Amoroso called Borges and Requesens murderers; and Hermann Escarrá justified Requesens’s arrest and emphasized: “We’re supra-constitutional regarding the constitution that we’ll modify but not regarding the electoral bases that guide us.”

In favor of Requesens

The National Assembly issued a statement to denounce lawmaker Juan Requesens’s arbitrary arrest, without respecting the guarantees of due process established in the Constitution. “Parliamentary immunity is a special quality that was created to protect the lawmakers elected by the people so they can’t be the targets of what happened to Requesens, an arbitrary, illegal and unconstitutional arrest,” said Gerardo Blyde very early on the radio. Parliament vice-president Alfonso Marquina explained: “Not even if it were legitimate, which it isn’t, the ANC would have any faculty to violate parliamentary immunity,” adding that Requesens’s case is an enforced disappearance. Dr. Juan Guillermo Requesens, the lawmaker’s father, issued a call to the government: “As a father and a citizen I demand that the government reveals my son’s whereabouts and condition.” Rafaela Requesens said that her brother is in prison because “this regime is afraid of Venezuelan youth,” adding that “today young Venezuelan citizens fear nothing and no one and we’re going to keep fighting for all those Venezuelans.” Later, Parliament’s Interior Policy Committee held a session before El Helicoide’s gates.

Amazing chavismo

Believe it or not, ANC member Julio Chávez urged to denounce Saturday’s event before international instances because “something as serious as the Colombian State’s actions can’t go unpunished.” Chávez claimed that besides stripping the immunity of AN lawmakers, they need to freeze their accounts and assets. And adding pieces to the puzzle of a lousy investigation, with supplies from the Barrio Nuevo Barrio Tricolor mission, they started repairing the Don Eduardo building, where one of the drones exploded on Saturday. If Nicolás could manipulate evidence, why on earth wouldn’t he intervene one of the investigated scenes?

Briefs

  • Health Minister Carlos Alvarado didn’t meet with hundreds of nurses, doctors and bioanalysts who rallied yesterday before the Ministry headquarters. He’ll meet with them on August 10.

  • Once again, the U.S. government denied their involvement in the alleged assassination attempt against Nicolás and said that they’ll investigate illegal activities if there’s credible evidence. Their ambassador before the UN, Nikky Haley, announced from Cucuta that the U.S. will donate $9,000,000 more to attend the Venezuelan crisis at the border with Colombia and asked the international community to come forth, to exercise pressure and take actions: “It’s time for them to condemn Maduro and to tell him that it’s time for him to go.”
  • The UN Secretary General nominated former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet as High Commission for Human Rights, replacing Zeid Ra’Ad Al Hussein.

  • The TSJ in exile announced that they’ll continue the oral and public trial “against the accused, Nicolás Maduro” today in Bogota, Colombia.
  • Ecuador declared a migration emergency due to the arrival of 4,200 Venezuelans per day. Additionally, with 72 votes in favor, the National Assembly approved the immediate removal of the monument to Néstor Kirschner at UNASUR headquarters because it’s a “symbol of corruption.”

…

Although Escarrá forgets, article 333 says: “This Constitution will not lose validity or authority due to an act of force or if it were derogated by any means different from those established in it. In such an eventuality, every citizen, with or without authority, will have the duty to cooperate to restore its effective validity.”

Naky Soto

Naky gets called Naibet at home and at the bank. She coordinates training programs for an NGO. She collects moments and turns them into words. She has more stories than freckles.

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