Sanctions Could be Lifting & more –24th Aug 2023

Buenos días from BA! This is the Rorshok Venezuela Update from the 24th of August twenty twenty-three A quick summary of what's going down in Venezuela.

In a recent turn of events, on Wednesday the 23rd, Adrienne Watson, spokesperson for the White House National Security Council, told Bloomberg that Venezuela and the United States are discussing the potential removal of sanctions in exchange for guaranteeing free and fair elections.

According to Bloomberg, insiders disclosed that initial meetings have taken place involving Jorge Rodríguez, the president of Venezuela's National Assembly aligned with the ruling party. Additionally, there's contemplation regarding the potential release of political prisoners as part of the negotiation process.

In more international news, on Friday the 18th, Colombia announced a two-year extension for the Primero la niñez program. This initiative allows children born to Venezuelan parents in the country to acquire Colombian nationality.

The program’s main aim is to safeguard the kids against statelessness and make sure that children born to Venezuelan migrants have a nationality. Notably, it has already positively impacted over 100,00 children. Originally launched in twenty nineteen, the program was further extended in twenty twenty-one, despite the strained diplomatic relations between the two countries at the time.

Moving from international to national news, on Monday the 21st, Venezuela's Attorney General, Tarek William Saab, announced plans to extradite Antonio Ledezma from Spain to Venezuela to arrest him. Ledezma is a former mayor of Caracas and a leader of the opposition.

Saab is accusing Ledezma of treason, conspiracy, incitement, and criminal association based on an interview where he discussed using civil disobedience to support vetted candidate María Corina Machado.

In social media, Ledezma denied promoting a military rebellion and civil disobedience and opposed the use of armed forces against Venezuelan citizens.

Following this development, on the same day that Ledezma allegedly called for a military uprising, Maduro activated the "Cuadrillas Defensoras de Paz" (or Cupaz) and mobilized over four million militia members.

Maduro stated that this move constitutes a "special anti-coup plan" aimed at upholding peace and preventing unrest across the nation.

In conjunction with the militia, Cupaz, which has faced criticism for its role in social control, is part of Maduro's call for civil-military unity.

Speaking of unity, Henry Parra, appointed by the Supreme Court as president of the Communist Party of Venezuela (or PCV), has announced the organization's return to the political ranks of the Great Patriotic Pole (or GPP), a coalition of parties that support Maduro's government.

Parra's objective is to unite the PCV within its original alliance, asserting that it never actually departed from the GPP. In twenty twenty, former president Oscar Figuera chose to distance the PCV from pro-Maduro parties, citing the communists' lack of support for Maduro's current presidency.

Parra explains that the PCV's decision to rejoin the GPP reflects their effort to consolidate support as they "face impending political challenges."

Next up, on Tuesday the 22nd, Roberto Enríquez, a contender in Venezuela's opposition primaries for the twenty twenty-four elections, proposed a bold solution to tackle the nation's staggering inflation.

Enríquez suggests closing the Central Bank of Venezuela (or BCV) to address currency devaluation and inflation, echoing concerns about unsupported currency issuance.

Enríquez encourages capital repatriation and foreign investments. This initiative arrives against the backdrop of years of economic turmoil, with the BCV's policies being under scrutiny.

Another opposition candidate for the presidential election making headlines this week was Delsa Solórzano.

On Thursday the 17th, Solórzano brought forth serious allegations concerning the impartiality of the prosecutor tasked with investigating the death threats against her and her family.

According to Solórzano, prosecutor Renny Amundarain, who is closely associated with the Maduro regime, can’t ensure a transparent investigation.

Amundarain has come under criticism for not delving into the specifics of the deaths that occurred during the repression in the twenty-seventeen protests against the Maduro regime.

From the opposition ranks to the ruling party, on Tuesday the 22nd, Luis Ratti, a figure associated with chavismo, submitted a request to the Public Prosecutor's Office to issue an arrest warrant against María Corina Machado.

As he had announced on Monday the 21st, Ratti has taken steps to involve legal authorities in pursuing action against Machado. He accuses her of orchestrating “movements against democracy.”

This isn't the first time Ratti has accused Machado as he has been outspoken in his criticisms for some time.

Interestingly, Ratti's request comes on Monday, the 21st after the start of the campaigns for the 22nd of October primaries, where Machado is emerging as a favored candidate in the polls.

Moving on, on Thursday the 17th, in a concerning development, attorney Zair Mundaray revealed through the social media platform X that two political prisoners, Captain Juan Caguaripano and Sergeant Juan Carlos Monasterios, had been subjected to isolation at El Helicoide prison.

According to Mundaray, during the early hours of Thursday, authorities isolated the prisoners, reigniting worries about the well-being of detainees within the facility. El Helicoide prison has a history of subjecting detainees to punitive measures.

Mundaray called for the intervention of the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, to ensure the rights and well-being of these detainees who are currently under state custody.

Speaking of human rights, it appears that expressing oneself freely in Venezuela can result in losing one's job.

On Wednesday the 23rd, Journalist Seir Contreras, host of the Primera Página show on Globovisión, was fired after confronting the chavista deputy Ramón Magallanes during an interview. The conversation centered on Venezuela's political and economic situation, during which Contreras shared his perspective criticizing the ruling party's economic actions.

The National Union of Press Workers denounced Contreras' dismissal as "arbitrary" and a violation of his right to work and freedom of expression.

According to the NGO Espacio Público, Contreras is safe and under protection following the news of his dismissal.

This is not the first time similar dismissals have occurred at Globovisión, as other journalists have also been fired for expressing their opinions.

In other news, on Friday the 18th, the Archdiocese of Caracas revealed that a man, identified as Keybis Jiménez, had been impersonating a priest within Caracas parishes.

The Order of Preachers clarified that Jiménez had never been associated with their order and was neither a priest nor a friar. The archdiocese has urged the community to report this case of impersonation and deception to the relevant authorities.

This incident follows a similar case earlier this year, where a man also pretending to be a priest was conducting religious ceremonies at a local country club chapel.

In more national news, on Saturday, the 19th, intense rainfall resulted in a significant rise in water levels, leading to floods. The swelling of the Uairen River in the Gran Sabana region of Bolívar State affected approximately two thousand families

Although no casualties or injuries have been reported, the floods caused serious damage to properties and belongings.

The National Institute of Meteorology and Hydrology (or Inameh) warned that ongoing heavy rainfall, gusty winds, and thunderstorms will persist across the entire national territory due to the influence of Tropical Storm Number 31.

Good news! On Saturday the 19th, the Venezuelan Academy of Cinematic Arts and Sciences announced that the film Simón will represent Venezuela at the 38th Goya Awards.

Directed by Diego Vincentini, the movie follows a young man who seeks asylum in Miami after being detained and tortured during Venezuela's twenty-seventeen anti-government protests.

Simón has garnered acclaim in International Film Festivals. In Florida’s the movie received a standing ovation, and in Dallas’ it won an award for Best Foreign Film.

The movie also received recognition at the Venezuelan Film Festival, securing awards in categories such as Best Director and Best Film.

Simón is scheduled to premiere in Venezuela on the 7th of September featuring notable cast members including Christian McGaffney, Franklin Virguez, among others.

We care about Venezuela and have been doing this for a while. But, unfortunately, the number of listeners is low and isn't going up so, we don't want to threaten you, but if we can't get the numbers of listeners up, we'll have to stop doing the show. Listeners bringing in friends and contacts are the key to making the numbers go up. Potential listeners can be from many different groups. Foreigners living in Venezuela, English-speaking Venezuelans living abroad, Venezuelans who want to improve their English, even diplomats and analysts who want to keep up with what's happening inside Venezuela. Please consider this week, letting us know directly at venezuela@rorshok.com or Instagram @rorshokvenezuela how you think we can get more listeners, and communicating directly with your contacts in these groups to let them know about this, and finally posting in your social media the link to the Venezuela Update with some encouraging words. Sorry for the bad news, hope we can stay with you! ¡Adiós!