CSI Venezuela

[mongers]

The UN produces damning evidence of the extra-judicial killing of thousands of people.

Venezuela's rulers accused by UN of death squads and policy of fear
4 July 2019 

The UN has accused Venezuela of a strategy of instilling fear in its population to retain power, removing opponents with a "shocking" number of alleged extrajudicial killings.

Victims are arrested and shot, with crime scenes manipulated to suggest they resisted police, a report says.

The UN urges Venezuela to end the "grave violations of economic, social, civil, political and cultural rights".

Nicolás Maduro's administration has not yet officially responded to the report.

Venezuela has in the past dismissed human rights allegations as "lies".

Mr Maduro is locked in a political battle with opposition leader Juan Guaidó.

Mr Guaidó, head of the country's National Assembly, declared himself interim president in January and has the backing of more than 50 countries, including the US and most of Latin America. Mr Maduro retains the loyalty of most of the military and important allies such as China and Russia.

Some four million people have fled Venezuela since 2015, according to the UN, amid a severe economic crisis that has resulted in high unemployment and chronic shortages of food and medicine.

What is the UN report and what does it allege?

The report is scheduled to be presented to the UN Human Rights Council on Friday.

It is based on "558 interviews with victims and witnesses of human rights violations and the deteriorating economic situation" from January 2018 to May 2019.

Its most damning findings relate to the number of deaths the Venezuelan government has ascribed to resisting arrest.

That figure for last year was 5,287, with another 1,569 up to 19 May this year.

Referring to these figures as "unusually" and "shockingly" high, the report says: "Information analysed by Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights suggests many of these killings may constitute extrajudicial executions."

The UN says witnesses reported how the Special Action Forces (FAES) "manipulated the crime scene and evidence. They would plant arms and drugs and fire their weapons against the walls or in the air to suggest a confrontation and to show the victim had 'resisted authority'".

It adds that the UN "is concerned the authorities may be using FAES and other security forces as an instrument to instil fear in the population and to maintain social control".

The BBC's Imogen Foulkes in Geneva says the report paints a dark picture of Venezuela, in which unmarked black vans arrive in poor neighbourhoods, masked officers get out, round up young men and shoot them.
...

Full item here:
https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-48873500

[Habbaku]

https://imgur.com/gallery/JMTE6Ue?fbclid=IwAR1xh6PvAQQlBcSq2iin7BfDhM7N0gm8pD1d8LxZU1mhaHvq_KLU9cacdxA

This is a wild ride.

tl;dr: an American mercenary company might have gotten hoodwinked into taking a contract to pull shenanigans in Venezuela, then had their members live-Tweet and post on social media about the operation. Dumbasses then get caught by the Venezuelan government. Other hilarity in the link itself (especially all the social media postings).

The kicker is the CIA apparently tried to talk them out of it and had nothing to do with it.

[viper37]

There's a long, detailed story about this on Vox:
https://www.vox.com/2020/5/11/21249203/venezuela-coup-jordan-goudreau-maduro-guaido-explain?utm_source=pocket-newtab

[celedhring]

Search & Capture order issued for Leopoldo López, who's holed up at the Spanish Embassy.

Looks like the Spanish government has helped smuggling him off Venezuela via Colombia and he is now in Madrid. Apparently the Venezuelan authorities have arrested some Spanish embassy personnel in relation to this. It's a developing story, so it's kinda hazy.

[celedhring]

[Admiral Yi]

Dennis Rodman can't be pleased.

[Tonitrus]

True...if has-been celebrity appeasement to dictators was rated like collecting Pokémon.

[DGuller]

What's the context here?  Is that a ceremony or an execution?

[grumbler]

What's the context here?  Is that a ceremony or an execution?

Some countries are more severe in their punishments for ignoring the mask rules.

[Admiral Yi]

Anyone else think about the scene in Narcos with la espada de Bolivar?

[celedhring]

Nobody been following their election? I find it hard to believe that the Venezuelan government would run a clean election, but everybody is expecting the opposition will win.

[Admiral Yi]

I mentioned in OT that 70 members of the opposition have been jailed.  Heard on NPR that polls have the opposition up 20 points on Maduro.  I will be very surprised if Maduro lets the opposition win.

[Duque de Bragança]

¿Socialismo o la muerte? 

[Crazy_Ivan80]

If I remember and I'm at work again I'll ask my venezuelan colleague if he has any insights... If he's willing to share and is keeping up since he's one of the 30% who left the country.

[Tonitrus]

Surprising no one...Maduro declared victory (as did the government election agency...but hey, only won by 51%...at least they tried to be plausible).  Even if the final tally is not quite in yet...someone in Madruo's position is not going to walk that back and slink away.

People can (and some are) take to the streets...but all the agencies of power seem pretty loyal to Maduro...and they've put them down before already in recent times.

Troubled times for Venezuela are certainly ahead.