Briefing

Using the Justice System for Persecution and Repression

After being arbitrarily detained on Monday, neither family members of lawyers of opposition leader Freddy Guevara have been able to see him or confirm he’s in good health. The government keeps harassing members of Fundaredes and their families.

Naky Soto

Photo: Noticia al día

  • After being arbitrarily detained on Monday, neither family members nor the lawyers of opposition leader Freddy Guevara have been able to see him or confirm he’s in good health. 
    • The regime accused Guevara of being an accomplice to the bands who participated in the shootings that collapsed southwestern Caracas last week.
    • Lawyer Omar Mora Tosta said that he wasn’t taken to his hearing in the 48 hours after an arrest, as stated in Venezuelan law.  
    • Baltazar Porras warned that Guevara’s detention and disappearance was a low blow to the negotiation process and Provea said that this detention is proof that the regime uses the Judicial Branch as an instrument of repression and persecution. 
  • On Wednesday, the police harassed Luis Somaza’s parents. Jorge Rodríguez had accused him of being tied to the gangs of the Cota 905. They then detained María Coromoto González, without a warrant. She’s Javier “El Gocho” González’s mother, Michael González, his brother, and his cousin Michel González, because they didn’t find him. A joint SEBIN-DGCIM commission detained social leader Jairo Pérez. He had been arrested for five hours in March for protesting the water shortages. They raided FundaRedes headquarters, the director’s and his mother’s homes, too. 
  • The regime held an event for strengthening the agro-industry, the same industry that has been denouncing the fuel shortages that hinder its productivity. 
    • Maduro exhorted producers to “leave the rentismo petrolero behind (…) and sowing a real economy, diverse and productive.” 
    • He didn’t say how and didn’t mention anything about budgets. 
    • They played videos on food security and Miranda governor Héctor Rodríguez assured that people have returned to working in the field because they reduced crime by 90%. 
    • Maduro repeated that he’ll request the extradition of Leopoldo López from Spain, for allegedly leading “terrorist attacks.” 
  • Maduro’s Communications minister, Freddy Ñáñez, said that Rome’s Appeals Court accepted evaluating the extradition of former Oil minister and president of PDVSA Rafael Ramírez, who’s wanted for corruption in Venezuela. 
  • TSJ president Maikel Moreno sent a press release and photos with the EU delegation to the media, despite these meetings being private and in no way legitimize the authority of the attendees. 
  • The TSJ approved requesting the extradition of GNB major Juvenal Sequea Torres from Colombia. Sequea Torres is accused of planning Operation Gedeón in May 2020.
  • The black market dollar broke the record and closed at 3,528,301 bolivars. 
  • The PAHO reported that Venezuela is getting closer to receiving COVAX vaccines Sinovac and Sinopharm. PAHO’s Ciro Ugarte didn’t specify when or how many. 
  • Ugarte said that, according to the regime, “2.2 million uses have been applied in Venezuela but we don’t have any details as to the places, the numbers, etc. It’s a topic that will surely be resolved when the rest of the doses.” This figure disproves chavismo’s claim of having vaccinated 11% of the population. 
  • Maduro said, as if it were an achievement, that he’s evaluating dropping the 7+7 model. 
  • ABA Cantv users reported a mass failure of internet service in several states, for a failure in Punto Fijo, Falcón, impacting 50% of the country. 
  • CITGO affirmed that they don’t have an immediate plan to supply liquified petroleum gas to Venezuela, despite the U.S. recently authorizing it. 
  • Civil society organizations requested the National Electoral Council to extend the period for updating and registering to vote for 15 days. This process was originally scheduled to end on Thursday, July 15th. 
  • EFE published a piece on communal cities being an attempt to eliminate the attributions and autonomy of municipalities and governorships, as defined by experts Juan Manuel Raffalli. 
  • The protests in Cuba continue. Journalist Yoani Sánchez reported that they’re estimating over 5,000 missing people and several deaths and said that people are scared, but protests continue. Journalist and Spain’s ABC correspondent in Cuba Camila Acosta were taken to the 100 y Aldabó prison, one of the regime’s torture centers. The dictatorship authorized free imports of food, medicine and hygiene products for travelers, but it’s a tricky statement because the Cuban still blocks commercial imports. 
  • The EU Court of Justice rejected lifting the sanctions on Diosdado Cabello, Delcy Rodríguez, Tibisay Lucena, Antonio Benavides Torres, Maikel Moreno, Tarek William Saab, Sandra Oblitas, Katherine Harrington and Socorro Hernández because they undermine democracy and the Rule of Law. 
  • Lester Toledo, leader of Voluntad Popular in exile, posted a video on social media, answering an offer he received recently, returning to Venezuela in exchange for running on the elections for Zulia governor. He said he had three conditions: releasing all political prisoners, guaranteeing the mass entrance of vaccine doses and international guarantors of the transparency of the election.

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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