Caracas Chronicles

• 89% of labs in Venezuela aren’t working, said the president of the Federación de Colegios de Bioanalistas, Judith León. She also said that over 70% of bioanalysts in public institutions have resigned because of the poor conditions. 
• Maduro assured before the UN General Assembly that there’s economic growth in Venezuela and that sanctions are part of the persecution of “liberties and economic guarantees that all nations must have.” 
  • He also lied about the alleged scientific achievements and asked for lifting all sanctions. 
  • He said that they were using international institutions to “justify attacks” against his regime, even though he mentioned “the people” and added that the negotiation in Mexico is a process “that seeks that the most extremist sectors of the opposition (…) return to democracy.” 
  • The person responsible for the environmental tragedy happening at the Orinoco Mining Arc asked for actions against climate change. 

One week later, Vice president and Finance minister Delcy Rodríguez said that the alleged “attack” against Banco de Venezuela that has affected online banking, was done by the U.S. She showed what she considers the first part of the evidence to assure that these “cyber attacks” against the servers were progressively increasing until the system was able to protect itself. 

• • Delcy blamed “factors that believe in violence and the people’s suffering as a way to obtain power” for the attack and mentioned other attacks against public services like water and electricity and refineries. 
• The EU hasn’t ruled out the possibility of sending an electoral observation mission, said Josep Borrell, who ratified the support of the EU to the negotiation process in Mexico and emphasized the need to achieve free and fair elections. 
• The National Electoral Council extended the deadline to change candidacies until September 24th. 
• Maduro said that he’s thinking about making all weeks in November and December “flexible weeks” so the “economic activity develops.” 
• The UN Working Group on Forced Disappearance said the Venezuelan State should provide more information on 30 cases in their last report. Out of all the cases that have needed more information, Maduro’s regime has only responded to six. 
• Control Ciudadano said that the fast-track reform of the Código Orgánico de Justicia Militar made by Maduro’s National Assembly intends to “erase the responsibility of the State in the case of international justice for violations of human rights, using the framework of military justice.” Rocío San Miguel said this reform is a joke. 

Foro Penal assured that with the recent reform of the criminal code, 67 political prisoners should be released since they have exceeded the time of preemptive prison (three years), modified on September 17th. 

• The secretary general of FetraSalud, Pablo Zambrano, had to attend a hearing at CICPC, the result of his visit to the J.M. de los Ríos Hospital. 
• Monómeros announced that they’ll abide by the rescue plan created by the Colombian government, using transitory measures of Decree 560, to design a plan to guarantee operations and preserve jobs. 
• The U.S. announced 336 million dollars to help vulnerable Venezuelans: $247 million for humanitarian aid and  $89 million for the needs of Venezuelans in a vulnerable situation, including people in the country, migrants, and refugees abroad. 
• Chile announced that it’ll restart mass deportations of irregular migrants. Officially, there are 455,000 Venezuelans in Chile. 
  • From January to July, 17,914 Venezuelans entered Chile illegally. 

• The Colombian Armed Forces denied that a drone entered Venezuelan air space as Maduro’s FANB claimed. They say that the coordinates Vladimir Padrino López gave are part of Colombian territory. 
• Spanish foreign minister José Manuel Albares said to foreign minister Félix Plasencia that they support the negotiation process in Mexico and assured that the meeting was part of the dialogue Spain is holding with all involved actors. 
  • Plasencia, who has been narrating everything about the UN, didn’t mention this meeting.