ICC’s Investigation into Crimes Against Humanity in Venezuela & more –29th June 2023

Buenos días from BA! This is the Rorshok Venezuela Update from the 29th of June twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what's going down in Venezuela.

On Tuesday, the 27th, the International Criminal Court (or ICC) allowed the ICC Prosecutor's Office to proceed with their investigation into alleged crimes against humanity in Venezuela.

Back in twenty eighteen, six countries requested this investigation, urging the ICC to thoroughly examine the crimes that occurred during the protests against the Maduro regime in Venezuela in twenty fourteen.

Maduro’s government is still against the investigation, and says that political motivations are behind the process. However, the news of the ICC's decision brought a sense of joy and relief to many people on social media, especially those who have personally witnessed or had family members who suffered human rights violations.

Following this news, on Tuesday, the 27th, the Venezuelan Ministry of Foreign Affairs used its social media platforms to share a statement expressing their disagreement with the ICC decision to reopen the investigation.

According to the statement, they said that a political strategy the US orchestrated is behind the ICC’s decision. The Venezuelan government intends to appeal this decision to the Appeals Chamber and expresses concern about the potential impact on the ICC's credibility.

Will it be the end of economic sanctions against Venezuela?

On Thursday, the 22nd, a group of twelve US Democratic leaders in Congress sent a letter to President Joe Biden.

In their message, they expressed the need for a change in approach towards Maduro's regime. Their main point was urging Biden to reevaluate the sanctions and abandon the strategy of maximum pressure in favor of a more constructive stance.

Additionally, the group sought information from the Biden administration on various important matters. They specifically requested details regarding the conditions necessary for the restoration of diplomatic relations, and the potential establishment of direct flights between Venezuela and the US, among other concerns.

In more international news, on Saturday, the 24th, Maduro openly showed his support for Russian President Vladimir Putin. Wagner, a mercenary private group, protested against Putin and marched to Moscow.

Maduro firmly denounced the Wagner Group and its leader, Yevgeny Prigozhin, for their role in posing a threat and attempting to incite armed insurrection in Russia using terrorist tactics. Prigozhin announced that the troops would be withdrawn.

From Russia to Colombia! On Thursday the 22nd, Maduro announced that starting from Monday, the 26th of June, Venezuelans will have the opportunity to schedule appointments for document legalization at the Consulate General of Venezuela in Cúcuta, Colombia.

Interested citizens can request appointments through the website using their ID. The appointment system is also available at other Venezuelan embassies and consulates around the world. To request an appointment follow the link in the show notes.

The cost for document verification is 124 bolivars or five dollars.

According to Maduro, this initiative aims to streamline the document legalization process for Venezuelans residing abroad.

Speaking of Maduro, on Monday the 26th, he requested his medical and scientific team to evaluate the possibility of banning the sale of electronic cigarettes throughout the country.

Although a recent regulation has been implemented covering their manufacturing, distribution, and use, the president believes that additional steps towards a complete prohibition should be taken.

Under the current regulations, sales to minors are already prohibited, along with their use in workplaces and public spaces. Additionally, detailed labels disclosing ingredients and warning about potential harm are required.

Next up, on Thursday the 22nd, Maduro made some pledges to boost national agricultural production. However, there are growing concerns due to the recent arrests of several farmers who have been disposing of significant amounts of food.

Farmers explain that the waste occurs because they lack access to sufficient gasoline across the country, which hinders their ability to transport crops to other regions. As a result, their harvests go to waste.

Despite Maduro's assurances, ongoing challenges such as inadequate financing and limited credit access persist, hampering domestic production. Farmers have voiced their concerns about the government's import policies, which they believe promote unfair competition for locally produced goods.

In election news, on Thursday, the 22nd, Benjamín Rausseo made an announcement stating that he will not be participating in the opposition primary and instead, he will run as an independent candidate for the Presidency of Venezuela.

According to his campaign director’s statement, Rausseo decided to run as an independent candidate because individuals thought he didn’t have enough political experience to compete in the opposition primary and would lose against the other candidates.

The registration period for the opposition elections concluded on Saturday, the 24th. Among the candidates registered are Delsa Solórzano, César Almeida, María Corina Machado, and Henrique Capriles.

Possible conflicts in the twenty twenty-four presidential elections.

On Friday the 23rd, Alerta Venezuela, a non-governmental organization, published a report that revealed the disturbing presence of irregular armed groups impeding humanitarian works in Venezuela. According to the organization, these groups pose a significant obstacle to the restoration of institutionalism, democracy, and the rule of law in the country.

Interviewees of a survey were worried about these groups because they might cause conflict if the opposition won the elections in twenty twenty-four.

Moving on, on Saturday the 24th, the General Prosecutor's Office issued arrest warrants for five international operators who were involved in the Pdvsa-Cripto scheme.The operators that were sought include one Italian, three Mexicans, and an Argentine. The US had already sanctioned two of them.

The prosecutor accused them of illicit trafficking of resources, money laundering, and smuggling.

However, there are some concerns regarding Jean López, the prosecutor leading the case, due to his involvement in controversial situations in the past. This includes the closure of a news portal and an accusation of terrorism financing. These past events have raised questions about the prosecutor's credibility and impartiality.

In other news, authorities continue their search for three fishermen who went missing on the 16th of June, expanding the search area in their efforts to locate them. The fishermen departed from Choroní aboard the vessel "La Llovizna" with the intention of catching more fish in deeper waters.

On Sunday the 25th, Remigio Ceballos, Minister of Interior and Justice, updated the public via Twitter, saying that they will not halt the search efforts. He expressed their commitment to finding the missing fishermen and offering answers to the anxious families in Choroní.

We hope they find them.

Next up, on Monday, the 26th, an explosion took place at the headquarters of the National Experimental University of Security (or UNES) in Catia, injuring three students.

Reports have indicated that the explosion caused damage to the university's infrastructure. As a precautionary measure, authorities evacuated everyone present at the scene

The cause of the explosion remains unknown.

On a lighter note, on Sunday the 25th, the Caracas Metro took to Twitter to announce their plans of installing Iranian turnstiles across all subway stations.

The introduction of these Iranian turnstiles is part of the El Metro Se Mueve Contigo plan, which seeks to enhance the city's public transportation system.

However, citizens have raised concerns about the compatibility of these turnstiles with the existing infrastructure, considering that the original system was French and later integrated Spanish trains.

From the subway to the planes! On Tuesday the 27th, Estelar Airlines announced the resumption of direct flights between Maiquetía, Venezuela, and Santiago de Chile, Chile, starting from the 4th of July.

Good news! On Tuesday the 27th, in the British firm Quacquarelli Symonds rankings of twenty twenty-four, the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello (or UCAB) achieved the top spot among the seven higher education institutions in Venezuela.

In addition to this accomplishment, UCAB made a significant climb of 169 positions and achieved a global ranking of 582 out of over 1,500 higher education institutions from more than 100 nations.

Furthermore, UCAB secured an impressive 21st position among the 192 Latin American universities included in this ranking.

Congrats!

That’s it for this week! Thanks for joining us!

Don’t want to have ads in the updates? Help us financially with the link in the show notes. Can’t do that but wanna support us? No worries, just tell your friends about us.

¡Hasta la próxima!