The Orinoco Mining Arc in Venezuela is rife with human rights abuses, including sexual exploitation and trafficking, and killings, according to a United Nations report. U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet released a report on July 15 that collected victim and witness accounts. They detail abuses committed against [ … ]
Venezuela
Abrams: Conditions for December Elections in Venezuela Worse than in 2018
Venezuela is now less prepared for free and fair elections than it was in 2018, when the results of the presidential elections were rejected by more than two dozen countries, U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela Elliot Abrams said on July 28. “The conditions for free and fair elections are actually [ … ]
US Sanctions 2 Collaborators of Nicolás Maduro’s Son
The United States sanctioned two Venezuelan brothers on July 23 for supporting Nicolás Maduro’s son and the “corrupt activities by members of the illegitimate regime” of Venezuela. The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) designated Santiago José Morón Hernández and Ricardo José Morón Hernández as [ … ]
Gasoline Shortages Return in Venezuela
Venezuela is facing new fuel shortages after a short reprieve, due to shipments of Iranian gasoline products in May. Five Iranian tankers that carried roughly 1.5 million barrels of gasoline products briefly helped relieve the oil-starved country, but long lines at gas stations, and fewer functioning fueling areas, are back. [ … ]
US Offers $5 Million Reward for Arrest of Venezuelan Chief Justice
The U.S. Department of State has offered a $5 million reward for information leading to the arrest or conviction of Maikel Moreno, nominal president of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice of Venezuela. According to the announcement made on July 21, the State Department is accusing Moreno of money laundering and [ … ]
Pompeo: International Pressure on Maduro Must Continue
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on July 15 that international pressure on the Nicolás Maduro regime “must continue until the Venezuelan people can reclaim their democracy.” Pompeo made this statement during a press conference at the U.S. Department of State. “Regarding Venezuela, the U.N. has found yet more [ … ]
NGOs Warn Narcotrafficking Threatens the Bolivian Amazon
Bolivian civil organizations have united to warn that the Bolivian Amazon is under threat from narcotrafficking. “In addition to the devastation of natural resources [...], we now face the criminal activities of narcotrafficking, which seek to subject populations, especially youth, to the vicious circle of violence and ambition,” says the [ … ]
‘There is No Political Will’: Maduro Ignored Bachelet’s 2019 Human Rights Recommendations
The Nicolás Maduro regime has partially addressed only two of the 23 recommendations that United Nations (U.N.) High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet made in 2019 to revert and prevent human rights violations in Venezuela. Institutions that advocate for human rights, such as the Venezuelan Education-Action Program on Human [ … ]
Destruction of Venezuelan Jungle Continues Due to Illicit Activities
The destruction of tropical rainforests in Venezuela continues due to illegal mining. Venezuelan criminal groups, paramilitary groups, and Colombian guerrillas, have destroyed close to 2,821 square kilometers of forests under the protection of the Nicolás Maduro regime, according to the report Illegal Mining in Venezuela: Death and Devastation in the [ … ]
Trump: ‘We’re going to be fighting for Venezuela. We’re going to be fighting for our friends from Cuba’
U.S. President Donald Trump visited the headquarters of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) in Doral, Florida, on July 10. “We’re going to be fighting for Venezuela. We’re going to be fighting for our friends from Cuba. They know that we’ve been doing that, and in so many other places. But Cuba [ … ]
US Warns Iran Could Buy Weapons to Sell to Venezuela
U.S. Special Representative for Venezuela Elliott Abrams warned on July 10 that Iran might be purchasing weapons from Russia or China to sell them to the Nicolás Maduro regime. “Iran […] might, in theory, buy or sell from Russia or China and then sell them to Venezuela at a higher [ … ]
Pompeo Says Venezuelans, Not US, Will Restore Peace in Venezuela
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 [ … ]