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 [ … ]
Venezuela
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: 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 [ … ]
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 [ … ]
Venezuela’s Official Virus Data Is ‘Absurd’: HRW and Johns Hopkins
Venezuela's low case count and death toll from the coronavirus are likely false and could in fact be thousands of times higher than official figures, according to the Human Rights Watch (HRW) and Johns Hopkins University. Nicolás Maduro's regime has reported 10 COVID-19 deaths out of 1,121 cases in a [ … ]
US Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant Interdicts Approximately 3,000 kilograms of Cocaine near Costa Rica
The U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Vigilant (WMEC-617) crew seized a total of 122 bales of cocaine, June 22, in back-to-back interdictions of go-fast vessels just off the coast of Limon, Costa Rica. The forward-deployed Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew aboard the Vigilant successfully disabled the first go-fast vessel and [ … ]
US Navy Carries Out Freedom of Navigation Operations
The U.S. Navy routinely conducts Freedom of Navigation Operations (FONOPs) throughout the world. FONOPs are operations by U.S. naval and air forces that strengthen internationally recognized rights and freedoms by challenging excessive maritime claims, which according to the U.S. Department of Defense are attempts by coastal nations to unlawfully claim [ … ]
Pompeo Announces Additional $200 Million Aid to Venezuelans
The United States announced a new $200 million aid package for Venezuelans, both inside and outside the country, including $138 million for humanitarian assistance. “The United States continues to be a catalyst for the international response to help the Venezuelan people and the region to respond to the ongoing humanitarian [ … ]