Dear John,
As I told MSNBC in a television interview this morning, democracy in Venezuela has again suffered setbacks this week. The situation is changing rapidly and there is a lot of disinformation and misinformation circulating.
Many of you will have seen the video of Dignora Hernández, the political coordinator for opposition leader María Corina Machado, crying for help as she was arrested by security forces of the Maduro government, alongside her colleague Henry Alviárez. And another seven new arrest warrants have been issued for members of Machado’s campaign.
On the same day, the UN Independent Fact Finding Mission on Venezuela gave a damning update before the Human Rights Council confirming that Venezuelan authorities are indeed returning to “the most violent form of repression.”
It is clear that democracy will not be won overnight, but civil society and the opposition in Venezuela are in it for the long haul and backing presidential elections set for July 28 even though it is clear in this context that they won’t be free and fair.
Here at WOLA we will be keeping a close eye on developments and continuing to speak up. This week I also gave interviews to The New York Times, Die Welt (Germany) and El Mercurio (Chile).
Next Tuesday, I will be moderating a panel with Verónica Zubillaga, Rebecca Hanson and David Smilde, the editors of “The Paradox of Violence in Venezuela” a recent book about violence under Chavismo.
I hope you can join us.
Best,
