The United States seeks to restore democracy in Venezuela, but it will be the Venezuelan people who will “ultimately” do it, top U.S. diplomat Mike Pompeo said on July 9. During a press conference with international media, Pompeo said that the Donald Trump administration will continue to do “all we [ … ]
Features
Maduro Steps Up Corruption, Human Rights Violations
The illegitimate Nicolás Maduro regime continues to undermine both human rights and democracy in Venezuela. Enforced disappearances of Venezuelan civilians by the regime are on the rise, according to a report by the Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights group and Foro Penal, a Venezuelan human rights organization. The regime has [ … ]
US Accuses Venezuela, Cuba of Human Trafficking
On June 25, the United States accused the Nicolás Maduro regime and the Cuban government of participating in human trafficking, according to a report from the U.S. Department of State. Cuba, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said at a press briefing, forces about 50,000 doctors to remain under conditions [ … ]
US Offers $10 Million for Arrest of Two FARC Dissidence Leaders
The United States announced new rewards for up to $10 million for the arrests of two prominent dissident leaders of of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC, in Spanish). The announcement was made on June 18 by both the U.S. State Department and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) for [ … ]
Armed Forces Disrupt Narcotrafficking Maritime Routes
According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s report COVID-19 and the Drug Supply Chain: From Production and Trafficking to Use, the pandemic has greatly affected the methods criminals use to transport their shipments; there is an increase in narcotrafficking by sea, in semisubmersibles and speedboats. “COVID-19 measures [ … ]
US: Terrorist Incidents in Venezuela Reflect Growing ELN Presence
Terrorist incidents in Venezuela in 2019 reflected the growing presence and territorial control of the National Liberation Army (ELN, in Spanish), the U.S. Department of State said in its annual report presented June 24. The report shows an increase in confrontations between the ELN, other Colombian and Venezuelan illegal armed [ … ]
USS Pinckney Freedom of Navigation Operation Challenges Venezuela’s Excessive Maritime Claim
On July 15, the U.S. Navy Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer USS Pinckney (DDG 91) challenged Venezuela’s excessive maritime claim in international waters during a successful freedom of navigation operation in the Caribbean Sea. The U.S. Navy previously contested Venezuela’s excessive claim June 23, when the USS Nitze (DDG 94) [ … ]
Additional Sanctions Placed on Cuba as US Blacklists 7 Companies
The U.S. State Department placed additional sanctions on Cuba on June 3, blacklisting seven Cuban companies including the financial institution that handles U.S. remittances to the communist nation. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced the seven Cuban military-controlled companies were added to the Cuba Restricted List, barring U.S. citizens [ … ]
Political Prisoners Incommunicado amid COVID-19 Crisis in Venezuela
The Venezuelan nongovernmental organization (NGO) Foro Penal revealed that there were 451 political prisoners detained in police and intelligence facilities of Venezuela as of the first week of June. This represents a 35 percent increase over the number of prisoners of conscience recorded by the same organization in March, showing [ … ]
US Adds Maduro’s Crypto Chief to Most Wanted List
Another Venezuelan official linked to the illegitimate Nicolás Maduro regime has been added to the United States’ Most Wanted List. The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) announced a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Joselit de la Trinidad Ramírez Camacho, who was also [ … ]
Honduras Shuts Spaces to Venezuelan Narcotrafficking
Cooperation mechanisms among Honduras, the United States, and Venezuela’s interim government have become stronger to halt Venezuelan narcotrafficking mafias connected to the Nicolás Maduro regime, despite the COVID-19 pandemic. To strengthen military operations against drug trafficking and crime throughout the region, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández inaugurated the Combined Interagency [ … ]
Venezuelan Service Members Rule Gasoline Black Market
On May 18, a commission of Venezuela’s General Military Counterintelligence Directorate (DGCIM, in Spanish) arrested eight service members belonging to units of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB, in Spanish) and the Bolivarian Navy, stationed in Bolívar state. According to the Infobae news agency, Military Prosecution representatives stated during the first [ … ]