The Venezuelan government's harsh reaction -- complete with a show of force -- was a hugely irresponsible replay of its response to previous protests. The government's response to these protests is further evidence of the need for strong international pressure, especially from other states in the region, to push for the restoration of human rights and democracy in Venezuela -- and a demonstration of the potential cost of a failure to act.
Before the demonstration, President Nicolás Maduro -- invoking his "defending peace" slogan --
accused the opposition of engaging in "violence, conspiracy, [a] coup d'etat, and interventionism." He
announced he would multiply the number of pro-government militias and arm them. All of this happened amid explosive tensions, in a country where security forces have brutally
repressed anti-government demonstrations, sometimes in collaboration with armed pro-government groups.
The government organized a counter-rally in downtown Caracas, precisely where the opposition marchers were heading.
Journalists covering the protests
said that security forces harassed them. The government took two cable channels that reported on the protests off the air. More than
500 people were detained nation-wide on April 19, most of whom are still being held. A total of more than
1,000 have been detained at anti-government protests since early April, the Venezuelan Penal Forum, a local group that provides legal support to detainees, reported on Twitter.
Three people were killed on April 19, with the month's
death toll in protests and related incidents at 22 so far.
Carlos Moreno, a 17-year-old boy who according to media reports was not participating in the demonstrations died after being shot in the head in Caracas. Armed civilians in Táchira state shot at Paola Andreina RamÃrez, a 23-year-old university student, killing her, an attack that a bystander caught on
video and posted on Twitter. A sniper in Miranda state
killed Sgt. San Clemente Barrios Neomar, a member of the National Guard. The attorney general's office said it was investigating the cases, and that it had
identified who had shot RamÃrez.
When the demonstrations ended, Diosdado Cabello, the powerful politician from Maduro's party who once headed the National Assembly,
said in his weekly TV show that he "wouldn't want to be in the shoes of those delinquents who are calling to destabilize [the country]," according to local media. He also
showed a booklet with the title "Manual of the Revolutionary Combatant" and photographs of opposition leaders with their home addresses, telling the audience that they knew "where they live, where they go." In a country where
impunity is the norm, and where the government has repeatedly taken advantage of the lack of judicial independence to arbitrarily
prosecute and jail political opponents, these implicit threats must be taken very seriously.
In spite of the deaths and the environment of threat, many Venezuelans -- although fewer than on Wednesday --took to the streets again on Thursday to push for change in their country. There has been more
tear gas and there have been more
arrests, local groups said
On Thursday night, at least 12 people died
during incidents of looting in two low-income areas in Caracas. Eleven people were killed or electrocuted in El Valle, according to the
Venezuelan Attorney General's Office.
After security forces and armed civilians with links to the government entered El Valle, there was repeated gunfire and the children's and maternity hospital in the area had to be evacuated after tear gas entered the building, according to
some residents.
On Saturday, Venezuelans organized a
demonstration to honor people who had been killed in during demonstrations in April.
Even before these most recent protests, the region's eyes were already on Venezuela. The Organization of American States (OAS) is currently debating Venezuela's compliance with the Inter-American Democratic Charter. Over the past few weeks, the OAS secretary general and key member states have
voiced serious concern regarding the humanitarian crisis that Venezuela is facing, with basic food and medical supplies in drastically short supply.
The international community has also criticized the ongoing arbitrary
detention of Leopoldo López, an opposition leader who was sentenced to almost 14 years in prison, the comptroller general's decision to
bar Henrique Capriles Radonski, another opposition leader, from running for office for 15 years, and a Supreme Court ruling that effectively
shut down the National Assembly. The international pressure
kept up even after the court partly reversed its ruling responding to a request by the president.
Those willing to criticize the actions of the Venezuelan government should take their disapproval one step further. Latin American leaders should immediately convene a high-level meeting to address the Venezuela crisis and press the Maduro administration to welcome independent monitors when organizing the country's next elections. They must demand that he release political prisoners, reestablish the independence of the judiciary and National Assembly, and most of all, allow sufficient humanitarian aid into the country to relieve the suffering of the Venezuelan people.
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