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American and Latin American Politics, Society, and Culture

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Venezuela: Leopoldo Lopez cries out to wife he was being tortured

Leopoldo López has been held in solitary confinement for 71 days, and has not been allowed to speak to his lawyers for 81 days.

Yesterday his wife tweeted this,
“Leopoldo himself cried out from his cell that he’s being tortured. I demand to see him and know he’s well!”

She was not allowed to see him.

In Venezuela, prisoners say abuse is so bad they are forced to eat pasta mixed with excrement

Earlier this month, the judge who upheld López’s jail sentence was shot dead during a robbery.

Daniel blogs From official terror to article 350 – 1) life in Caracas, the least of which being,

If you are living in opposition areas your Internet and light and water services have noticeably decreased in “quality”, as if they ever had any in the first place.

From official terror to article 350 – 2) state terrorism reflects chavismo division

Apparently Maduro Is Rapidly Running Out Of Friends; the question is, who comes after him?

Cross-posted at WoW! Magazine.

UPDATE
Trending at Bad Blue.

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Venezuela: Lopez is alive and tweeting

Ending the abundant rumors from last week, Lilian Tintori, Leopoldo López’s wife, says he is well,

Jailed opposition Venezuelan politician Leopoldo Lopez is well and is urging street demonstrators to keep up massive anti-government protests, his wife said on Sunday after her first visit with the former presidential hopeful in over a month, putting to rest rumors of his ill health.

“Let’s go. We can’t stop until we achieve our freedom. I’m on the streets with you, in mind and spirit, and if I were there, I’d go first.”

López also urges the military to “disobey illegal and unjust orders,”

The regime should, but won’t, allow López to be seen by the general public.

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Venezuela: Leopoldo Lopez, whereabouts unknown UPDATED

UPDATE, Sun. May 7:
El Nuevo Herald reports that Lilian Tintori, López’s wife, was allowed entrance at Ramo Verde prison.

She had tweeted,

“Today #7M we’re at Ramo Verde’s gate waiting to be allowed to see Leopoldo. It is our right!”

Follow-up post here.

May 6th post:

Rumors persist on López’s condition.

I posted on Thursday

Following rumours that jailed Venezuelan opposition politician Leopoldo Lopez had been moved from his cell to a military hospital, a government lawmaker showed a “proof of life” video of him in his cell. He had been reported dead earlier.

I posted the video of a very buff young man,

which López’s family has denounced as fake,

On Wednesday night, news spread on social media that López’s condition at the prison had deteriorated so much that he had been transferred to a military hospital. Shortly after those rumors began, National Assembly minority leader and suspected drug kingpin Diosdado Cabello, who was hosting a live state television program at the time, announced that López – who he referred to as “the Ramo Verde monster” – was healthy and published a bizarre video of a man claiming to be López confirming his good health.

The man in the video appeared significantly muscular and wore a belt around his waist, which some on social media noted would violate the rules of Ramo Verde. He also appeared to be in daylight, while claiming the time of the video to be 9:00PM local. Tintori denounced the video as “false” on Twitter and wrote, “The only proof of life we accept is to see Leopoldo.”

The regime has refused to allow López any visitors at all for the last thirty days (link in Spanish). His wife and supporters have held vigils outside Ramo Verde prison where he is supposedly held,

“Nicolas Maduro, Minister Padrino López and Ramo Verde director Captain Boston are responsible for our not knowing anything about Leopoldo.”

As of the writing of this post, rumors persist (link in Spanish) that López died of abdominal trauma and hemorrhaging on April 30th following a beating by two National Guard members for refusing to publicly demand that the opposition end all street demonstrations. The author of that article alleges that López body was cremated, and that prison officials will claim he escaped.

If López is alive, the Caracas dictatorship should produce him.

Lopez was last seen in public on February 18, 2014.

UPDATE
Listed as a Power Line pick. Thank you!

Linked to by Doug Ross. Thank you!

Linked to by Hot Air. Thank you!

[text edited for clarity]

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Venezuela: Duncan, Sires Send Letter Urging Protection of U.S. Energy Security

In the U.S.,
Duncan, Sires Send Letter Urging Protection of U.S. Energy Security

Chairman Jeff Duncan (SC-03) and Ranking Member Albio Sires (NJ-08) of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs’ Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere sent a letter to the U.S. Department of the Treasury urging immediate attention to a potential threat to critical U.S. energy infrastructure as a result of a recent asset transfer between Venezuela’s PDVSA and Russia’s Rosneft. This development impacts PDVSA’s U.S.-based subsidiary, Citgo, and vital U.S. national security interests.

Here’s Russ Dalen’s testimony to Congress on Venezuela’s Tragic Meltdown.

As you may recall, Venezuela’s Supreme Court granted Nicolás Maduro the power to bypass the National Assembly and approve new joint ventures with foreign oil companies. Late last December, Venezuela’s PDVSA Mortgages US Refinery Citgo to Russia’s Rosneft.

Stratfor (subscription only) analysis: The government is scrambling to find money to help the national oil company meet its debt payments and avoid a disastrous default

Standing in the way of the government strategy to ride out a default is the United States. Any moves Caracas makes to further delay elections or crack down on the opposition — necessary actions to rule a one-party state — could invite further U.S. sanctions. Venezuela’s rulers, alert to this threat, have tentatively reached out to Washington. In March, a Stratfor source said the Venezuelan government was planning to open a back channel of communication with the United States. As part of its outreach to Washington, Maduro instructed Foreign Minister Delcy Rodriguez and Venezuelan Oil Minister Nelson Martinez, the chairman and CEO of PDVSA’s U.S. subsidiary Citgo, to explore the possibility of further opening Venezuela’s energy market to U.S. corporations.

This tracks closely with media reports that emerged Monday claiming that business executives close to Donald Trump Jr., son of the U.S. president, had discussed with National Security Council officials the possibility of loosening sanctions on Venezuelan officials in exchange for business opportunities in Venezuela. The intent by Venezuelan officials appears to have been to buy them some time to decide how to proceed with regional and presidential elections. Still, the offer, made in early February, did not prevent Washington from sanctioning El Aissami that month. There also have been indications that the Trump administration may be willing to enact additional sanctions against Venezuela.

Frank Muci writes about How Chavismo Mágico is Swallowing PDVSA

In Venezuela, a college student was shot dead during anti-government demonstrations:
Venezuela clashes leave one man dead, dozens arrested in Caracas

College student dies during Venezuela protest

Youth shot dead during protest against Venezuela President Maduro

Venezuela confirms young man killed during anti-Maduro protests

Over at the National Assembly,
Venezuelan lawmakers avoid military blockade to start recall of pro-government justices

Venezuela’s national legislature Wednesday began the process of removing pro-government justices on the constitutional branch of the Supreme Court, after opposition lawmakers gathered before dawn to avoid a National Guard blockade

The opposition majority in the National Assembly, some of whose deputies were injured Tuesday in attacks by government agents, also approved a declaration that Venezuela is suffering a coup d’etat and demanding the release of all political prisoners. It also urged the Venezuelan armed forces to listen to the people’s demands for democracy.

In other news,
Liliana Tintori met with Enrique Peña Nieto in Mexico

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U.S., Mexico + 12 other countries to challenge Venezuela

The WSJ reports that, for the first time in twelve years (emphasis added),

Fourteen nations plan to issue a joint statement in coming days calling on the government of President Nicolás Maduro to release political prisoners, return full powers to the National Assembly and set a timetable to hold regional elections that Venezuela has indefinitely postponed, according to Mexican Foreign Minister Luis Videgaray.
. . .
The countries expected to sign the letter are Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and the U.S. Countries that have refused to sign are Venezuela’s closest allies, including Ecuador, Bolivia, Nicaragua, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.

This long-overdue step is a marked departure from the Obama administration’s policy.

As you may recall, Pres. Trump met with Venezuelan dissident Lilian Tintori, who is married to political prisoner Leopoldo López, last month in the White House.

That same week,

the U.S. Treasury Department, following a lengthy investigation, announced that it had identified Maduro’s vice president, Tareck El-Aissami, as a drug kingpin, freezing his assets and barring U.S. entities from engaging in transactions with him.

The new diplomatic approach is not limited to relations with Venezuela; The WSJ also points out (emphasis added),

The diplomatic effort to encourage change in Venezuela has allowed Mexico to work closely with the new administration of U.S. President Donald Trump on an issue that isn’t related to trade, immigration or a border wall. “It’s not the motivation, but it helps having a common cause,” Mr. Videgaray said.

U.S.-Mexico relations are not as hostile as the propaganda media in both countries would have you believe.

As you may recall, two weeks ago I pointed out that the Trump administration has close enough relations with Mexico’s Foreign Secretary that Videgaray can meet with them directly by simply calling Secretary of State Tillerson the night before.

Cross-posted at WoW! Magazine.

UPDATE
Trending at BadBlue.

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OAS requests Venezuela suspension

OAS Chief Urges Suspension of Venezuela’s MembershipSecretary-General Luis Almagro calls on President Maduro to hold elections, take measures to support democracy to avoid possible suspension

The head of the Organization of American States on Tuesday recommended suspending Venezuela from the 34-nation body unless President Nicolás Maduro’s government moves quickly to hold general elections.

In a 75-page letter, OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro urged the Maduro administration to call elections within 30 days, free political prisoners, appoint independent Supreme Court justices and reinstate laws that were passed by the opposition-controlled congress but annulled by his government.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan dissident Lilian Tintori, wife of political prisoner Leopoldo López, was not allowed to enter Ecuador (link in Spanish), where she had been invited by opposition members.

“We are harassed by immigration at Guayaquil airport, we are taped and have our passport taken away. The Government of Ecuador violates our #HumanRights”

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Venezuela: The world’s worst oil company

Steve Hanke tweeted the graph on the world’s most miserable country,

To put PDVSA’s depletion rate into perspective, let’s compare it to Exxon’s. At the end of 2015, Exxon’s depletion rate was 8.15% — which is comparable to most of the world’s major oil companies. That rate implies Exxon’s median time to extraction (and sale) for a barrel of oil is 8.2 years. That’s 190 years earlier than PDVSA would realize revenue from selling a barrel of oil. Given the rate at which Exxon is depleting its reserves, they are worth something. Indeed, if we discount at 10%, Exxon’s reserves are worth 46% of the well-head value. Not zero, as is the case for PDVSA.

So, with the way PDVSA operates, it is exploiting reserves so slowly as to render them, on average, worthless. If that’s not bad enough, PDVSA is generating negative cash flows and piling up a mountain of debt (see the chart above). The arithmetic does not look good. PDVSA faces $10 bil. in interest and principal payments this year, but reports estimate that PDVSA only has $2 bil. in cash to service its debt obligations. In principle, the government could come to the rescue. But, its stated reserves have dwindled to below $10.5 bil.

Read the full article here.

Steel production is nil: Struggling to smelt, Venezuela state-run steelmaker grows sunflowers, crops

Workers at Venezuelan steelmaker Sidor are planting sunflowers and vegetables on company premises to ease a national food deficit as steel output has almost ground to a halt nine years after the company was taken over by the government.

In other headlines:
Congratulations Bolivarian Socialists, Venezuela Caught Up With North Korea

That’s according to the recent 2017 Index of Economic Freedom ranking, which places Venezuela in 179th position — next to North Korea, which occupies the 180th.

Published by the Heritage Foundation, the Economic Freedom report measures such things as trade freedom, business freedom, investment freedom, and the degree of property rights protection in 180 countries actually ranked.

Venezuela is also catching up with North Korea in corruption, while it is well ahead in inflation, which runs at 800%.

Lilian Tintori, Wife of Venezuelan jailed leader describes 3 years of torture

Peru’s president recalls envoy over attacks by Venezuela, after Nicolás Maduro referred to Peruvian president Pedro Pablo Kuczynski as a ‘coward’ and a ‘dog’ subservient to US, following PPK’s White House visit – the first by a Latin American president.

At the blogs:
How long is it going to take to crawl out of this hole?



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Venezuela: Miami Herald correspondent expelled; Demonstrations today

Miami Herald correspondent Jim Wyss detained and expelled from Venezuela in advance of protest rally

The day Wyss arrived in Caracas, two journalists from Al Jazeera and other news organizations had been turned away when they tried to enter the country. The Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday that Venezuela has denied entry to at least six journalists who wanted to cover a protest scheduled for Thursday to demand a recall referendum on President Nicolás Maduro.

El Nuevo Herald has a live feed of today’s demonstrations,

Venezuelans Converge on Capital to Press for Vote on President. Tens of thousands gather in Caracas as opportunity to oust Nicolás Maduro’s Socialist government begins to wane

“May the street speak, may the street speak with people, and may the street speak in peace, and may the street speak in democracy.”



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