In an interview with Voice of America, U.S. Department of State spokesperson Morgan Ortagus said that it was necessary for more countries in the region to designate Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. Ortagus added that the Nicolás Maduro regime provides a safe haven to Hezbollah members. Two decades ago, the [ … ]
Venezuela
US Sent More than $656 Million in Humanitarian Aid for Venezuelans
Since 2017, the U.S. government has provided more than $656 million in humanitarian aid for Venezuelans, according to a February 4 report from the U.S. Department of State. The figure shows a significant increase in U.S. resources destined for this purpose in the last few years. The document stated that [ … ]
Cuba’s Torture Methods in Venezuela Take a Brutal Toll
Cuba’s influence has caused a sharp increase in brutal torture methods used on prisoners in Venezuela, according to a recent report by the CASLA Institute, a nongovernmental organization (NGO) that promotes human rights and democracy in Latin America. In 2019, Luis Almagro, secretary general of the Organization of American States, [ … ]
Maduro’s Crimes Against Venezuelans Continue
Nicolás Maduro’s corruption and support for violence both inside and outside of Venezuela carries on a year after he subverted the nation’s democracy by assuming an illegitimate second term as president. “Maduro has engaged in activities that have now caused millions of people to have to flee Venezuela,” said U.S. [ … ]
Cuba’s Influence over Venezuela Increases Bilateral Relations and Cooperation
The booming bilateral relations between Cuba and Venezuela have raised concerns in the South American country and in the region, due to the influence Havana could exert over Nicolás Maduro, experts say. Hugo Chávez’s rise to power in 1999 meant a qualitative and quantitative leap for Cuban-Venezuelan relations, says expert [ … ]
Fighting for Justice in Authoritarian Regimes
World Social Justice Day encourages people to recognize the importance of basic rights and human freedom. As the world celebrates Social Justice Day on February 20, here’s a look at some of the injustices that authoritarian regimes in China, Iran, and Venezuela inflict on their own people. China The Chinese [ … ]
Venezuelan Interim President Visits Trump at White House
On February 5, Venezuelan Interim President Juan Guaidó met with U.S. President Donald Trump at the White House. In a statement announcing Guaidó’s visit, the White House said, “We will continue to work with our partners in the region to confront the illegitimate dictatorship in Venezuela, and will stand alongside [ … ]
Russia Sets the Pace in Venezuela
The number of Russian service members in Venezuela is on the rise. Américo De Grazia, a lawmaker in the Venezuelan National Assembly who is in exile in the United States, said in January 2020 that “there is a reserved area at Canaima National Park where Russian and Iranian Hezbollah soldiers [ … ]
Regional Cooperation Essential to Combatting Hezbollah Threat in Latin America
The III Western Hemisphere Counterterrorism Ministerial Summit highlighted the need for countries of the region to work jointly to wipe out terrorist cells, especially those belonging to Lebanese movement Hezbollah and the Colombian guerrilla National Liberation Army (ELN, in Spanish). The countries signatories to the statement that resulted from the [ … ]
Colombian, Venezuelan Armed Groups Exercise Abusive Control at the Border, Says HRW
Colombian and Venezuelan armed groups exercise “abusive social control” on both sides of the border, in Colombia’s Arauca department and Venezuela’s Apure state, in collusion with Venezuelan authorities, said nongovernmental organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) on January 22. José Miguel Vivanco, HRW director for the Americas, denounced operations carried out [ … ]
Shaping Online Public Opinion, Maduro’s ‘Army of Trolls’
In early January, Twitter suspended dozens of accounts linked to the Nicolás Maduro regime citing “platform manipulations.” Maduro’s presidential office, the Bolivarian Armed Forces’ Strategic Operational Command, the Central Bank of Venezuela, including state oil company PDVSA, and other government agencies temporarily lost access to their accounts. In 2019, both [ … ]
Mental Health in Maduro’s Venezuela
As the illegitimate regime of Nicolás Maduro continues to starve the Venezuelan people and destroy their health care system, the mental health of Venezuelans continues to deteriorate. For those suffering from chronic and severe mental health disorders — such as schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder — access [ … ]