Marvinia Jiménez is a young mother, partially disabled (35). When the protests began on February 24 and spread to her predominantly poor neighborhood in La Isabelica, Valencia (about 200 kilometers from Caracas), she chose to approach the National Guard instead of backing away or fleeing. What followed was one of the darkest episodes of brutality seen in Venezuela in recent years. To the shame of President Nicolás Maduro, almost every detail of the vile attack on unarmed Marvinia was recorded by numerous neighbors, who uploaded the bloody footage to social media in real time. The images and video went viral instantly. Not only that, the perpetrator (Josneidy Nayari Castillo Mendoza) was identified; his Facebook profile, photos, and identity were exposed, even a passport application was leaked and published online.
Marvinia’s ordeal did not end there. After being brutally beaten and dragged by her hair, she was arrested, held in isolation, and released about 48 hours later with five charges (yes, you read that right), including assault. I won’t share the photos and videos, but those who wish can search her name on Google to see what she went through.
What about Juan Manuel Carrasco González, 21 years old? He was protesting in El Trigal, another area of Valencia, on February 13 when he was detained along with others, sodomized with a rifle, and beaten while in custody. This unspeakable act was also committed by the National Guard. Upon being released, he was taken to the hospital. His mother, deeply affected, recounted a story of unbearable physical and psychological torture that was pushing her son to the brink of madness. Prosecutors showed up at the clinic to obtain medical reports and statements. Imagine Juan Manuel’s surprise when Venezuela’s Attorney General, Luisa Ortega Díaz, declared that he had not been beaten and sodomized by state security forces. Perhaps in violation of an absurd non-comment order, Juan Manuel had to relive his torment, refuting the Attorney General’s statements and affirming to the press that, indeed, he had been abused and tortured. Juan Manuel received 45 days of house arrest.
Welcome to Venezuela, the socialist paradise shaped by the late Hugo Chávez and his idol Fidel Castro, whose successor, Nicolás Maduro, has quickly turned it into a failed state. Inflation is at 56%. Food shortages are at 26%. In 2013 alone, over 24,000 Venezuelans lost their lives due to crime, which, when added to figures from previous years (since 1998), exceeds 100,000. The judiciary is more than useless, with 97% of homicides remaining unsolved. Despite an extraordinary windfall in oil revenues, the country is in ruins. But dare to protest at your own risk, as Maduro and his Cuban handlers are unwilling to tolerate such insolence. Media reports are censored; ask NTN24. CNN reporter Karl Penhaul and Colombian Juan Pablo Bieri were attacked by security forces, who confiscated their equipment and video recordings. Other journalists, like CNN’s Patricia Janiot, were expelled from the country. Users reported problems uploading images and videos to Twitter, which, once online, were blocked. Access to critical blogs and websites has also been shut down.
The current crisis began due to rampant crime. An attempted rape of a student from the Universidad de Los Andes in San Cristóbal, the capital city of the state of Táchira, bordering Colombia in western Venezuela, on February 4 sparked a wave of protests that have since spread throughout the country. The use of excessive force and the judiciary as mechanisms of repression have stoked the flames to uncontrollable levels. Hundreds of thousands of Venezuelans have joined protesting students. 15 people have already been killed, either by security forces or by paramilitary thugs supporting the Chavista Revolution. One opposition leader, Leopoldo López, has been imprisoned in a military facility on false charges. Another, Congresswoman María Corina Machado, is facing a campaign to strip her of parliamentary immunity. Meanwhile, Education Minister Héctor Rodríguez claims the socialist revolution will not lift people out of poverty into the middle class, so they turn against their government. José Vielma Mora, governor of Táchira state from the ruling party, expressed strong criticism of how Maduro has handled student protests.
It is worth explaining to an international audience largely unaware of the details that, despite its glorified supporter base, chavismo has yet to gain a majority in Venezuelan universities. Not even at the height of its popularity did representatives aligned with Hugo Chávez achieve overall control. In other words, where voting is still done manually, chavismo has only suffered humiliating defeats in survey after survey since 1998. While Smartmatics / National Electoral Council has produced a tally of 18 victories and one defeat for chavismo (2007, where university students also played an active role) in presidential, legislative, congressional, gubernatorial, and local council elections since 1998, an almost identical but reverse count in contests for student bodies and university authorities provides an excellent perspective on how the Bolivarian Republic’s revolution is viewed among Venezuelan students, most of whom have never lived under a different government.
Unfortunately, no leader, from either side of the divide, can claim control over what people are doing in the streets right now. Yesterday, 463 members of the European Parliament condemned President Maduro’s crowd-control tactics. Criticism of his regime cuts across ideological divides, as exemplified by articles on the subject published by both The Times and The Guardian. By unleashing brutality against unarmed civilians, Maduro has made repulsion to his regime universal. As protests continue unabated for the third consecutive week, it remains unclear how the crisis will dissipate.