[UPDATED 26.02.2014, 17:06 GMT] We were sitting in his smoke-filled living room. A heavy smoker, he recounted an episode from his life that he would rather not relive. Painful as it was, he stated that when the torture began, the guards laughed, joked, and felt powerful, even entertained. He had gone on a hunger strike, but the State had different ideas; they intended to keep him alive, forcing food into him through tubes inserted in his nostrils, which they later removed. Daily. They maintained this form of torture for 12 days until they finally gave up. When it ended, both the doctors and guards were emotionally shattered. I asked how he managed to keep his sanity under such conditions; he replied, “When you are not allowed to think for yourself, when you cannot hold or express an opinion, especially one contrary to the dictates of the ruling party, you lose what makes us human. You become like an object in a meaningless existence, and that life isn’t worth living. So, I decided to rebel against that system, not fearing death, because to live under such conditions was like being dead.” Today, when I see images of the brutality unleashed by the Maduro regime against innocent, unarmed civilians whose only “crime” is to protest, I can’t help but recall the words of Vladimir Bukovsky.
What does Maduro aim to achieve with such brutality? Does he understand that this senseless attack on unarmed civilians can only radicalize the protesters?
The images and video were captured yesterday, 21 days after protests erupted in Venezuela. The victim, Marvinia Jiménez (mother of a 7-year-old boy with disabilities who is in isolation), was brutally beaten and injured. On February 24, an attempt to rape a student from the University of Los Andes in San Cristóbal caused such outrage that her fellow students took to the streets. Some were arrested and sent to prison in Coro, hundreds of kilometers from their homes and schools. Now, why would the authorities do that, if not to provoke?
As I wrote yesterday in the Evening Standard in London, the key issue here is crime. Experts estimate (Chavismo stopped publishing figures years ago) that more than 24,000 Venezuelans lost their lives to crime in 2013, and over 100,000 since Chavismo came to power in 1998. A staggering 97% of homicides go unpunished. Therefore, criminals know they have only a slim chance of being caught. Compounding the issue, incitement to hatred has been a central policy of Chavismo. First Hugo Chávez, and now his successor, label the opposition as fascists, imperial lapdogs, coup-makers, and radicals. The State security forces have been fed a relentless discourse of hatred, one of “us against the enemies of the revolution.” The official mantra used to be, until Chávez learned he was dying of cancer, “Fatherland, socialism, or death.” Thus, the National Guard in the photo above (already identified as Josneidy Nayari Castillo Mendoza, ID n.° 19.445.226) knows not only that there are few chances of ever facing justice but that such actions have been promoted, encouraged, and expected all the way from the highest executive office down through the chain of command.
21 days later, Maduro still hasn’t addressed the brutality and terror inflicted on innocent students by the State security apparatus and paramilitary thugs aligned with his regime. At a meeting in Washington the other day, I heard someone ask what the United States might do to ease tensions. My response was to remind them of all the binding international human rights treaties on civil and political rights that Venezuela has signed and ratified. Radek Sikorski, one of three European mediators who went to Ukraine to help parties find a solution to the escalating violence, tweeted the other day: “Naturally, like all members of the Council of Europe, Ukraine is obligated by treaties to respect the rights of ethnic, linguistic, and religious minorities.” And so is Venezuela, whose ratification of international human rights treaties entails the obligation to respect life, the right to assemble and protest, prohibiting torture, excessive use of force, and persecution for political reasons. Where is the international community in this? It has been argued that the decision by Germany, France, and Poland to devise a mission to stop Putin’s control over his puppet Viktor Yanukovych was due to Ukraine’s proximity. It seems as though the major powers in the EU are simply not ready to withstand the former KGB bully playing so close. But what to make of the silence from Colombia and Brazil regarding the situation in Venezuela? If Maduro continues pushing the country toward civil war, do Juan Manuel Santos and Dilma Roussef really believe their golden pacts with Chavismo will survive?
Yesterday marked an important event. José Vielma Mora, the governor of Táchira state and ally of Diosdado Cabello, made some alarming criticisms of Maduro’s handling of the crisis during a radio interview. While most Venezuelans concluded that it was merely a red herring, I see it as a formal statement meant to send a message to Maduro. Contrary to popular belief, Chavismo is anything but monolithic. Maduro’s faction (entirely beholden to the Castros) isn’t necessarily comfortable with Diosdado’s (who has real military power). In fact, I would say that, hidden from view, a tug-of-war is tearing Chavismo apart, as paramilitaries (leaning toward Maduro) and the National Guard (favoring Diosdado) have been left to fend for themselves. Maduro and Cabello are vying for position, and one can only fear what will come if Cabello ends up on top.
It’s time for the international community to implement a carrot-and-stick policy against Chavismo. 14 people have already been killed. Torture and brutality, as seen above, are part of daily life for some, and there are no signs of yielding from either side. Moreover, repression of this kind will only lead to radicalization and an escalation of violence. This state of affairs is simply unacceptable. Control over security forces, whether traditional or paramilitary, lies solely in official hands. Maduro and Cabello must put a stop to this. The European Union and the United States could start by announcing an immediate freeze on bank accounts and the seizure of assets held by proxies in their respective jurisdictions. Aim for where it hurts. I just can’t believe that Venezuela and its regional satellites can muster more diplomatic power than Mexico, Canada, the United States, and Europe. The imperialist Putin was just defeated in his own backyard; how is it that Cuba can’t do the same in Venezuela?