The recent visit of an Iranian delegation to Venezuela marks a new chapter in the already robust strategic alliance between both countries, raising questions about the implications for regional and global stability. According to the Venezuelan Foreign Ministry, the March 11 meeting aimed at reviewing bilateral cooperation. Both countries, under [ … ]
Venezuela
Maduro Distances Himself from the United Nations
Early in Venezuela’s electoral year Nicolás Maduro undertook a set of measures to distance the country from the United Nations (U.N.) system of human rights protection and aiming at closing the civic space. A sign of what was to come appeared in December, when the regime’s prosecutor, Tarek William Saab, [ … ]
Maduro Creates New State, Escalates Essequibo Dispute
The majority pro-regime Venezuelan Parliament approved the creation of a new state in Guyana’s Essequibo territory, the subject of a long-running dispute between the neighboring countries, Reuters reported on March 21. The law creates the new state of Guayana Esequiba. The state’s borders would be the Atlantic Ocean to the [ … ]
Nicaragua and Venezuela top Freedom House’s blacklist on freedoms in 2023
A report released February 29 by the organization Freedom House presents Nicaragua and Venezuela at the top of its blacklist of countries by region where electoral manipulation was used, leading to a significant decline of political rights and civil liberties in the last 10 years. "Global freedom took a big [ … ]
Maduro Threatens NGOs in Venezuela
Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro is keeping up its assault on civil society, this time focusing its attacks on nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and threatening to put an end to nonprofit organizations, which continuously question the actions of the regime. In mid-January, the Venezuelan National Assembly, with a pro-regime majority, approved the Law [ … ]
Maduro Adds Conspiracy Theories to Guyana Conflict
In a desperate effort to maintain cohesion of his political base, Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro once again bemoaned alleged plots against him. Presenting his annual address before the ruling party-dominated National Assembly in mid-January, Maduro claimed that intelligence bodies had uncovered “four conspiracies with foreign components, planned from Miami and Colombia.” [ … ]
Maduro Holds on to Power and Expands Crackdown on Opposition
In a move seen as expanding the crackdown on the opposition, the regime of Nicolás Maduro detained human rights activist Rocío San Miguel, accusing her of plotting to kill Maduro, Attorney General Tarek William Saab said via X. San Miguel was arrested February 9 at an airport in Caracas in [ … ]
Brazil Beefs Up Border amid Venezuela-Guyana Tension
Seeking to increase its presence on its border with Venezuela and Guyana, and amid the escalating tension over the Essequibo, the Brazilian Army (EB) sent more troops to the north, keeping up with a strategic deployment initiated in early December. On January 13, some 14 Guaicurus armored vehicles, 18 other [ … ]
Russia’s Influence in the Essequibo Conflict
Nicolás Maduro’s revival of Venezuelan claims over two thirds of Guyana has placed this old dispute in the spotlight of South American geopolitics. More than a territorial disagreement, Maduro’s stance over the Essequibo threatens the security of the region, creating a potential risk of regional conflict. The shadow of Russia, [ … ]
Maduro Stick to His Guns on Essequibo Claim
Following the consultative referendum of December 3, the Nicolás Maduro regime is moving forward with its claim over the Essequibo region that belongs to neighbor Guyana. On January 13, the National Assembly began a second discussion on the Organic Law for the Defense of the Guayana Esequiba, which provides for [ … ]
Prison Interventions in Venezuela: Theatricality and Disinformation
The most important milestone in terms of citizen security in 2023 for Venezuela began on September 20, with the intervention of police and military forces in the Torocón Judicial Prison, in the state of Aragua. According to InSight Crime, an organization that studies organized crime in Latin America, this prison [ … ]
Investigation Lays Out Deep Involvement of Maduro Regime in Drug Trade
The latest transnational journalistic investigation, led by the international investigative journalism organization Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), in partnership with the Latin American Center of Investigative Journalism (CLIP) and various other Latin American organizations, highlights the deep involvement of the Venezuelan regime and its military in the drug [ … ]