Investigation Into Crimes Against Humanity Still On & more –27th July 2023

Buenos días from BA! This is the Rorshok Venezuela Update from the 27th of July twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what's going down in Venezuela.

On Thursday the 20th, the Maduro regime experienced another setback in their dealings with the International Criminal Court (or ICC) regarding the investigation of crimes against humanity in Venezuela. The Appeals Chamber of the ICC has dismissed Venezuela's request to revoke Prosecutor Karim Khan's authorization to investigate these crimes.

In a statement, the Appeals Chamber highlighted that Venezuela's arguments for the suspension lacked the necessary evidence to back up their request. Additionally, the Chamber expressed concerns that granting the suspension could potentially cause further traumas to the victims.

After being extradited from Spain to the United States, Hugo Carvajal, the former Venezuelan spy chief, and advisor to Hugo Chávez, pleaded not guilty to decade-old charges in a New York hearing on Thursday the 20th. He will remain in custody while his lawyers prepare an application for bail.

Prosecutors allege that he used his position to coordinate the smuggling of large quantities of cocaine to Mexico in two thousand and six. If convicted, he could face life imprisonment.

Federal prosecutor Damian Williams accused him of importing poison in the shape of tons of drugs into the United States.

During a press conference on Sunday the 23rd, Chavista lawmaker Ileana Medina announced that Chavismo is considering revoking the nationality of certain opposition leaders. She is targeting the ones who have supported the sanctions imposed by the United States against the government of Maduro.

Medina accused these opposition figures of committing "serious crimes against the country," such as assassination plots, invasion, undermining sovereignty, and misappropriation of national resources. In response, she proposed amendments to the constitution so these people would lose their nationality—a consequence of their actions.

Additionally, they are preparing to file formal complaints against several opposition figures both within Venezuela and on an international level, citing the crimes Maduro accused them of as the basis for these complaints.

Speaking of the sanctions, on Thursday the 20th, the White House announced that the U.S. government's intention to negotiate the lifting of Venezuela sanctions will have a limited timeframe tied to Venezuela's twenty twenty-four elections.

Juan González, US Special Assistant for the US president, mentioned efforts to offer incentives to Chavismo, encouraging them to engage in negotiations with the opposition and conduct fair and transparent presidential elections. However, he warned that these incentives will not last forever and will be removed eventually. Still, he didn’t explain when or how.

New sanctions are ruled out, and the focus is on fostering an electoral environment that benefits Venezuela and countries like Colombia, impacted by Venezuelan migrants.

Apparently, the incentives worked because on Thursday the 20th, delegations representing Maduro's government and the opposition announced that they are considering attending the Peace Forum in Paris on the 11th of November. The Paris Forum aims to present solutions to global challenges.

This looks like the opposition and the government are trying to engage in dialogue and find solutions to Venezuela's economic challenges.

In their statement, the Chavistas and opposition leaders also emphasized the need for dialogue to address the conditions surrounding Venezuela’s upcoming elections. They also want to reach the shared goal of lifting US economic sanctions to improve Venezuela's economic situation.

As the date for the opposition elections draws nearer, details about the voting process have been revealed.

On Friday the 21st, Jesús María Casal, the President of the National Primary Commission, announced that the counting process will be conducted manually, to ensure transparency and credibility in the electoral outcomes.

Even though the vote count will be manual, digital tools will still be employed. According to Casal, the ultimate goal is to encourage greater citizen participation and enable Venezuelans abroad to exercise their right to vote.

But not everything is what it seems. On Wednesday, the 26th, the National Primaries Commission announced that its vice president, María Carolina Uzcátegui, has resigned from her post. Uzcátegui was responsible for overseeing the opposition's internal elections.

In her resignation letter, Uzcátegui stated that the technical and logistical conditions were not suitable for conducting a fair election for all Venezuelans.

Uzcátegui added that some individuals were using the internal election for personal gain instead of improving the election process's integrity.

Being a candidate for the presidential elections is not an easy task.

On Saturday the 22nd, the headquarters of the Vente Venezuela party in La Fría, Táchira state, suffered vandalism with death threats aimed at the party leader María Corina Machado. The threatening messages also included slogans opposing her candidacy in the primaries.

This marks the second attack on a Vente Venezuela headquarters within a week. Numerous candidates running in the twenty twenty-three primary elections expressed their strong disapproval of these threats and rallied in support of Machado.

In response to the incidents, the Vente Táchira party promptly condemned the actions and reassured that the headquarters would soon be re-inaugurated.

It seems like Chavismo has its own unique interpretation of the word "sabotage."

On Thursday the 20th, Diosdado Cabello, a prominent figure in the Chavismo movement, refuted allegations of pro-government groups sabotaging opposition activities. During a Chavista rally in Guatire, he stated that the public knows the damage caused by opposition leaders.

Cabello questioned the opposition's aspirations for the presidency, citing a lack of popular support. He also mentioned María Corina Machado's contradictory stance on sanctions and elections.

On the same day, in his TV show, Con El Mazo Dando, Cabello called on Chavismo to be prepared to confront fascism and asserted that EU observers won't be allowed during elections.

A war that does not seem to end.

On Wednesday the 26th, the Chavista National Assembly asked the Venezuelan opposition to return Citgo, a subsidiary of the state-owned oil company PDVSA, located in the US.

The Maduro regime claims that the Venezuelan opposition, with the support of the United States, has taken control of Citgo and other PDVSA assets abroad, leading to allegations of theft. On the other hand, the Maduro government argues that they have the legitimate right to manage these assets.

To complicate matters further, the U.S. Department of the Treasury granted the opposition a license that allows them to engage in specific transactions related to Venezuela and PDVSA's debts.

Moving on, on Friday the 21st, the Maduro government announced its plans to clean around 600 beaches surrounding Lake Maracaibo in Zulia state. These beaches have been adversely impacted by pollution from oil spills, waste from the basin, and the proliferation of greenish algae.

The Ministry of Ecosocialism disclosed that government representatives have been in contact with local fishermen and communities to involve them in the recovery and sanitation efforts.

Next up, on Saturday the 22nd, Maduro’s regime made an announcement regarding its funding of scientific projects in areas like health, education, and food. The main goal is to contribute to the nation's development while simultaneously bolstering the field of science.

The National Fund for Science, Technology, and Innovation, along with the Corporation for Scientific and Technological Development, will be funding these projects; however, the funding amounts for the projects have not been disclosed

Currently, there are ongoing research efforts from Maduro’s regime focusing on modernizing education at the University Central de Venezuela and on improving scientific infrastructures. Additionally, work is being done to enhance disease diagnosis, including research on conditions like leishmaniasis.

In other news, on Friday the 21st, the board of Universidad Nacional Experimental Simón Rodríguez in Palo Verde, Caracas, was dismissed after they brought a stripper into the University to celebrate Father's Day, as seen in a viral video.

The authorities will appoint new officials and conduct an investigation.

.

On Monday the 24th, Venezuela, Colombia, and other Latin American countries celebrated the birthday of Simon Bolivar, the man who played a significant role in liberating these nations.

However, this wasn't the only event that Venezuelans commemorated on this day. They also commemorated the Battle of Lake Maracaibo, also known as the "Naval Battle of the Lake," which played a crucial role in the fight for Venezuelan independence. But, just to clarify, Venezuelans actually celebrate their official independence day on the 5th of July.

Aaaaand that’s it for this week! Thanks for joining us!

We are a few people trying to share information with no ads. Support us financially with the link in our show notes so we can keep doing these shows. If you can’t, tell your friends about us, and hit the subscribe button.

¡Hasta la próxima!