He reiterated that seeking reconciliation in Venezuela is an ANC task; hence, it will work to establish order in the country.’
Maduro Says Constituent Assembly will Guarantee Peace, Justice.
24 Monday Jul 2017
24 Monday Jul 2017
He reiterated that seeking reconciliation in Venezuela is an ANC task; hence, it will work to establish order in the country.’
20 Thursday Jul 2017
The nursery at the Venezuela Television offices in Los Ruices in eastern Caracas was evacuated after the channel was threatened by violent opposition protesters who threw rocks into the nursey’s garden and set a police post on fire across the street from the station.
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The attack was repelled by VTV workers themselves before the national guard arrived to arrest six people involved in the attempted assault.
Workers were seen coming out of the building to defend the station and freedom of the press in Venezuela, dismantling barricades set up by opposition forces in their efforts to shut down the city.
President Nicolas Maduro blamed the attack squarely on the mayor of the municipality of Sucre, “I blame Carlos Ocariz for this attack and I call for swift justice in this case.”
19 Wednesday Jul 2017
El Salvador’s President Salvador Sanchez Ceren expressed his support for Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro after the United States threatened a new round of sanctions if the sovereign country goes ahead with its National Constituent Assembly on July 30.
“I want to express our great solidarity with President Nicolas Maduro and the Venezuelan process,” Ceren stated from Nicaragua where he is participating in the 38th anniversary of the Sandinista popular revolution and the Sao Paulo Forum.
“The Venezuelan process is preparing for elections to elect the Constituent Assembly, a process that Venezuela has always pursued by following the will of the people,” the Salvadoran president added.
In a White House briefing Tuesday, U.S. director for South America’s National Security Council Fernando Cutz informed the press that if the Constituent Assembly goes ahead, the United States would impose severe sanctions against the Bolivarian nation.
19 Wednesday Jul 2017
Trump’s man for South America has promised robust measures against Venezuela but refused to give details in a White House briefing Tuesday.
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Fernando Cutz, the director for South America of Donald Trump’s National Security Council, told journalists that no decision has yet been taken on new sanctions against Venezuela, so he was not prepared to discuss specific actions or the names of individuals or entities that might be targeted. Cutz was answering questions from the media in a telephone briefing after President Trump threatened to take “strong and swift economic action” if the Venezuelan government continues with elections for a Constituent Assembly on July 30.
19 Wednesday Jul 2017
Tags
#Human rights, #Venezuela, #Venezuela Chávez, Destabilization in Venezuela, National Constituent Assembly South America
The Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino Lopez stated in a press conference Wednesday that the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela strongly rejects the interference of western powers in the internal affairs of the country.
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“The FANB categorically rejects the alliance of governments operating against the nation and repudiates as firmly as possible the statements of (U.S. President Donald) Trump who, in an affront to Venezuela has dared to threaten the Venezuelan people with imposing economic sanctions on the government if it goes ahead with its Constituent Assembly. It is a shameless and vile statement that represents clear meddling in the internal affairs of the country.”
The minister also denounced the opposition that calls its supporters into the streets, leading to violence that “sets people on fire, attacks medical and educational centers, and attempts to destroy cities.”
Stating the firm anti-imperialist character of the armed forces, Padrino called on the military to close ranks against these interventionists attacks.
The military official also described how forces will be deployed starting Friday to distribute electoral equipment to the over 14,000 polling centers in the country ahead of the CNA vote on July 30.
Vice President Tareck El Aissami also denounced Trump’s interventionist plans, stating that the civic-military alliance will be activated on July 21 to ensure the safe and free participation of the Venezuelan people during the vote.
The statement came after Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro led a session of the National Defense Council Tuesday night at the Miraflores Presidential Palace aimed at developing strategies to defend Venezuela’s sovereignty after Trump promised “swift and strong actions” if Venezuela decided to proceed with elections for the National Constituent Assembly.
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Maduro criticized Trump’s threats as “vulgar,” arguing “the process of the constituent assembly is already in the hands of the people who will exercise their right to vote.”
“This is my response, the constituent assembly does not belong to me. On July 16 the people said this constituent assembly belongs to me,” added Maduro, referring to the historic dry run vote where million
Maduro’s call for the National Defense Council after the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry in a statement rejected the U.S. government’s “unbelievable” comments on Venezuela that “shows its absolute bias towards the violent and extremist sectors of Venezuelan politics, which favor the use of terrorism to overthrow a popular and democratic government.”
The ministry was referring to a statement issued Monday by President Donald Trump, who said, “If the Maduro regime imposes its Constituent Assembly on July 30, the United States will take strong and swift economic actions.”
Trump’s threats were repeated by the U.S. State Department which released a statement calling on “the Government of Venezuela to abandon the proposed National Constituent Assembly. ”
“The thin democratic veil of the Venezuelan opposition has fallen, and it reveals the brutal interventionist force of the U.S. government, which has been behind the violence suffered by the Venezuelan people in the last four months. It is not the first time that we denounce and confront threats as ludicrous as those contained in this unbelievable document,” the statement added.
The document called on the people of the world to defend sovereignty, self-determination and independence.
“The National Constituent Assembly will be elected by the direct, universal, and secret ballot of all Venezuelans, under the authority of the National Electoral Council, as contemplated in our legal framework. It is an act of political sovereignty of the Republic, nothing and no one can stop it. The Constituent Assembly will go on!” the statement concluded.
The threats come after record high numbers turned out to participate in the historic dry run vote for the ANC, which is aimed at easing tensions and creating a more representative constitution. Despite the mass show of public support, the event was largely ignored, as international leaders continued to criticize the Venezuelan government and demand immediate elections.
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White House spokesman Sean Spicer called on Miraflores to cancel the ANC and convene “free and fair elections.”
EU diplomat Federica Mogherini likewise urged President Nicolas Maduro to suspend plans to convene the ANC, noting that the move would be “an important gesture” toward de-escalating tensions.
This message was echoed by Spanish President Mariano Rajoy and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, who penned an opinion piece for Spanish newspaper El Mundo criticizing the Venezuelan government.
Organization of American States Secretary General Luis Almagro chimed in Tuesday, saying that if the ANC went ahead it would be inappropriate, and he demanded that the assembly be canceled.
15 Saturday Jul 2017
Dozens of parliamentarians from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Finland and Iceland have launched a declaration calling on the international community to reject ongoing right-wing violence in Venezuela, which has since claimed at least 94 lives.
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The signatories, calling themselves the Nordic Initiative, expressed support for the upcoming National Constituent Assembly, a process called for by President Nicolas Maduro to ease political tensions. They called on opposition forces to respect the nationwide campaign, along with the December 2017 regional elections and the December 2018 presidential election.
“We adhere to the democratic forces in the world that demand a halt to the violence that affects Venezuela at this moment,” the declaration reads.
“We are convinced that dialogue and a peaceful solution are the best way to end the confrontation between the government and the opposition. We condemn the violent actions that have led to the death of innocent people and the destruction of public and private institutions and buildings.”
Warning against further violence, the group claimed that “nobody would win” if the country became ungovernable or if a civil war broke out.
12 Wednesday Jul 2017
Journalists at the Perijanera 95.1 community radio station say that a group of opposition protesters attacked their offices at the headquarters of Corpozulia, the local development organization, in the community of Machiques de Perija on Monday afternoon.
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Pedro Gonzalez told the Ministry of Communications that the attackers looted and set on fire several parts of the building, causing extensive damage to the radio’s installations. The attack also damaged a meeting space for the Yukpa Indigenous people, as well as offices of the Ministry of Indigenous Peoples and Fundacomunal, which supports the region’s Community Councils and Food Committees. He said the violence was led by members of two right-wing parties, People’s Will and Justice First, with the backing of local cattle ranchers.
10 Monday Jul 2017
Venezuela’s Ombudsman Tarek William Saab reported on his Twitter account that Venezuelan authorities have verified an attempted lynching outside the “Los Verdes” residence in the El Paraiso neighborhood of Caracas Saturday.
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Saab denounced that those “who committed this hate crime did so with the greatest impunity and in broad daylight.”
The official received news Saturday afternoon when former mayor and police chief, Freddy Bernal called to inform him about the hate crime.
05 Wednesday Jul 2017
As the death toll from Venezuelan opposition protests continues to rise, “The Empire Files” host Abby Martin lashed out at international media for their one-sided portrayal of the violence.
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In her latest episode, Martin condemns the coverage of right-wing protesters as “romantic” and insists “there certainly is a right to protest” in Venezuela.
As part of the program, Martin spent three weeks in Caracas and attended both opposition and Chavista demonstrations.
In one opposition demonstration, protesters maneuvered three trucks to block a highway, burnt tires and hurled rocks at security forces. The protesters told her to “only film repression against them, not their actions,” she says.