Tag Archives: rampant violence

May
31
2013
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In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 5/31/13

s1.reutersmedia.net In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 5/31/13

Courtesy of: Reuters

 

This week: Venezuelan president reacts with fury to meeting between Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles, even recalling an envoy to Colombia’s peace process; two U.S. embassy officials are shot in a Venezuelan strip club, exemplifying the Venezuelan government’s inability to combat violence; the shooting prompts the State Department to describe the crime level in Venezuela as ‘critical’; and Nicolás Maduro accuses CNN of working to promote a coup. Capriles plans to ‘set off the alarms’ before international bodies due to the state of Venezuelan political institutions; Globovisión, the lone voice of dissent among Venezuelan TV stations, lowers the critical tone under new owners, firing popular talk show host and denying live coverage of opposition leaders; Maduro orders the creation of a new workers’ militia to defend the country’s ‘Bolivarian revolution’ at a time of economic problems and political turmoil; and Venezuela plans to hold local elections on December 8. The head of Venezuela’s main business group sees a dire economy in 2013 due to the decade-long weakening of domestic industry; 93.52 percent of respondents in a poll blame the government for shortages in Venezuela; Venezuelan police seize 2,500 rolls of toilet paper in overnight raid, in another sign of growing shortages; the Confederation of Industries estimates Venezuela’s domestic industries are working at only half their capacity; and Venezuela’s Catholic Church experiences the country’s scarcity of basic supplies, ‘running out of wine’ to celebrate Mass.

Venezuela furious at Colombia’s meeting with opposition leader, Reuters

Venezuela reacted with fury to Wednesday’s talks between Colombian President Juan Manuel Santos and Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles, saying it was a “bomb” in ties and recalling an envoy to Colombia’s peace process.

2 American Embassy Officials Are Shot in Venezuela Strip Club, El Universal

Two staff members of the American Embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, were shot and wounded at a strip club there early Tuesday, according to officials.

State Dept. report for Caracas personnel: Crime level ‘critical’, Washington Post

Two U.S. embassy personnel were wounded by gunfire outside a Caracas night spot early Tuesday morning, according to the State Department.

Venezuela accuses CNN of seeking to foment coup, AFP

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro on Monday accused US-based news network CNN en Espanol of working to promote a coup d’etat as part of a wider media war against his socialist government.

Henrique Capriles to set off the alarms before international bodies, El Universal

Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles said Wednesday from Colombia that the situation facing Venezuelan institutions is forcing him to “set off the alarms” before international organizations and report on the state of affairs in his country.

Globovision, lone voice of dissent among Venezuela TV stations, lowers volume under new owners, Associated Press

Venezuela’s only TV channel that has been openly critical of the socialist government was in turmoil Monday after a popular talk show host was fired and the opposition’s leader said he was being denied live coverage.

Venezuela to Create New Workers Militia, Associated Press

Venezuela’s president has ordered the creation of a new workers’ militia to defend the country’s “Bolivarian revolution” at a time when the government faces economic problems and political turmoil.

Venezuela to hold local election next December 8, El Universal

In a brief press conference late on Thursday at the headquarters of the National Electoral Council (CNE), its president, Tibisay Lucena, said Venezuela will hold local elections on December 8, after they were put off for various reasons.

Venezuela business group sees dire economy in 2013, Reuters

Venezuela is slipping into high inflation and economic stagnation this year due to a shortage of hard currency and a decade-long weakening of domestic industry, the head of the country’s main business group Fedecamaras said.

Venezuelans blame Government for widespread shortage, El Universal

The Venezuelan Government is accountable for shortage in the country, said 93.52% of respondents in a poll conducted by daily newspaper El Universal.

Venezuela police seize 2,500 rolls of toilet paper in overnight raid, Associated Press

Police in Venezuela say they have seized nearly 2,500 rolls of toilet paper in an overnight raid of a clandestine warehouse storing scarce goods.

Venezuelan industries running at half capacity, El Universal

Venezuela’s domestic industries are working at half their capacity. The Venezuelan Confederation of Industries (Conindustria) reported that the manufacturing sector worked at 52.82% of its installed capacity in the first quarter of the year.

Venezuela Catholic Church ‘running out of wine’, BBC News

The Catholic Church in Venezuela has said it is running out of wine to celebrate Mass because of nationwide shortages of basic supplies.

 
Apr
19
2012
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Former Venezuelan Judge Suggests Drug Trafficking By Government Officials

Typically, when international experts, foreign governments and Venezuelan citizens talk about the rising crime in Venezuela, it’s in regard to the rampant violence that has made the country as dangerous as some conflict zones. Even the U.S. State Department has warned citizens traveling to Venezuela of the purported dangers. However, more and more, the governments in both the U.S. and Venezuela are turning their attention to the “worrying trends” emerging in Venezuela’s illegal narcotics trade.

Now, a former Venezuelan judge has suggested to U.S. investigators that prominent figures in Venezuela’s government are involved in drug trafficking operations.

In testimony given before the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) on Tuesday, Eladio Aponte Aponte, a former judge of the Supreme Court of Venezuela, has implied that senior officers of the armed forces and even leaders of the Chávez government are complicit in drug trafficking operations.

According to one source, Aponte said the drug trafficking operations are run directly by Henry Rangel Silva, the Venezuelan Minister of Defense; General Cliver Alcalá, commander of the Fourth Armored Division of the Army; and Diosdado Cabello, president of the National Assembly and one of President Hugo Chávez’s closest allies.

The Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of Treasury Department was already aware of Alcalá’s and Silva’s alleged links to drug trafficking and terrorist organizations.

aponte Former Venezuelan Judge Suggests Drug Trafficking By Government Officials

Aponte arrived in the U.S. from Costa Rica, where he had been since Apr. 2. He was himself implicated in the drug conspiracy, and was dismissed as a judge on March 20 for alleged ties to accused trafficker Walid Makled. His whereabouts between his dismissal from the Supreme Court and his appearance in Costa Rica remain unknown.

The National Assembly removed Aponte from office after documents found in Makled’s apartment showed ties to the judge. Aponte gave Makled credentials that gave him access to court offices and the freedom to move around the country without restriction.

Makled is currently on trial in Caracas. He was extradited to Venezuela from Columbia after a series of diplomatic negotiations.

According to reports released by WikiLeaks, the Venezuelan military exerted pressure on Chávez to prevent Makled from being tried in the U.S. Senior army officers reportedly fear that Makled — who has already told media that senior army officers were directly involved in drug transport — might testify that the Venezuelan military aided his drug trafficking operation.

Economic issues often garner the most attention during an election season. But in this election year in Venezuela, crime is an equally important issue for most Venezuelans. If proven true, these alleged connections between the government’s top officials and narcotics trafficking could adversely impact the PSUV, who very well could lose the high ground in the debate about crime.