El Paes: Chavismo Returns to Its Most Radical Position Amid Repressive Waves

Chavismo has denounced a series of plots to assassinate Maduro and used it as justification for abandoning the Barbados accords, which had already been called into question by Supreme Court moves to cancel the primaries and block participation. This has cost him the flexibility of a sanctions regime that he had agreed directly with Washington to end two months after achieving some improvement in oil production, opening the field to foreign companies and returning the businessman. Alex Saab, a government financial operator who became key in a time of further sanctions.

This week, amid tensions in the ecosystem of human rights organizations over the detention of lawyer Rocio San Miguel and due process violations in his case, including the enforced disappearance of his defenders, the government decided to expel him. Representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner. A publication on the organization’s X account, in which it expressed its deep concern about the arrests in San Miguel, has led to a move announced by Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil.

The rejection reaction in the region has been a chain reaction. Argentina, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Paraguay and Uruguay have already raised red flags. Despite efforts by the international community to normalize relations with the oil country, the diplomatic siege on Venezuela could be renewed.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights was established in 2019 after much pressure from civil society over the rights situation in Venezuela. After Maduro spent years denying the humanitarian crisis, Geneva authorized the arrival of the presenters, which also concerned political freedoms. At the same time as social indicators worsened, repression also increased in the country. “At that time with Michelle Bachelet, the government was more willing to submit to protection mechanisms to say that they are guarantees of human rights, although before that they denied having reported repeated violations,” says Ezequiel Monsalve of the NGO Defenda. Venezuela.

Despite the very limited work, the departure of representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Civil Society Organizations in 72 hours results in the protection of rights in the country, the access of reporters to the country opened in recent years and the technical assistance of the authorities. “If we were threatened by their presence here, even more so now,” warns Monsalve. Activists point out that delegates had many difficulties visiting prisons where more than 200 political prisoners are still held in Venezuela. But repeated complaints of extra-judicial executions in poor neighborhoods by the FAES (Special Forces of the Bolivarian National Police) eventually led to the abolition of that police force – although its actions were transferred to other institutions – and the lethality of these incursions decreased. Police

Some analysts warn that Venezuela is headed for a process similar to that experienced in Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo’s Nicaragua in recent years. Added to what has happened in recent weeks are signs of intervention by international organizations such as the one with the Venezuelan Red Cross and the promotion of a legislative initiative seeking to criminalize NGOs, which the National Assembly is currently debating. Last year, Chavismo seemed destined for moderately competitive elections in which it could still control the outcome and retain power. Maduro’s hardening of his opponents is particularly breathless after the success of the opposition’s primary election in October 2023 and the landslide victory of the most anti-Chavista candidate, the now elected leader, María Corina Machado. Those who currently have four times as much voting intention as Nicolás Maduro, according to the poll.