Freedom of Speech

Jul
19
2013
Posted by
admin
Comments

In Case You Missed It…Articles Roundup Week of 7/19/13

capriles denuncia en 16083903 In Case You Missed It…Articles Roundup Week of 7/19/13

Courtesy of: EFE

This week: Henrique Capriles arrives in Chile to meet with President Sebastián Piñera, as well as other ruling party leaders and the Venezuelan community in Santiago; Human Rights Watch says Venezuela should guarantee the right of free speech of its own citizens before offering to defend Edward Snowden; U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry tells Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elías Jaua that Washington will halt all refined-oil sales if Snowden takes refuge in Venezuela; and Nicolás Maduro fumes after U.S. envoy to the United Nations criticizes Venezuela’s regime as “repressive.” Annual inflation reaches 39.6 percent, far exceeding the government’s stated goal of 14 – 16 percent; purchasing power declines 10 percent as a result of rising inflation; and the Venezuelan government recognizes scarcity of dollars as a big problem, but only takes tepid steps to solve it. The devaluation of the bolívar is complete with the Central Bank’s auction of dollars, doubling the exchange rate; a new Fitch Ratings report confirms that the country’s foreign exchange policy continues to face challenges; and Maduro marries his longtime companion and prominent PSUV figure, Cilia Flores.

Capriles arrives in Chile; confirms appointment with Sebastián Piñera, El Universal

Venezuelan opposition leader Henrique Capriles arrived in Chile on Wednesday in the first leg of a tour that will also take him to Peru. He confirmed that he will meet with President Sebastián Piñera, without specifying the time or place. “It is not important whether we will talk at La Moneda Palace, the seat of the Chilean government, or elsewhere,” Capriles told reporters at the airport of Santiago.

Human Rights Watch: Snowden should steer clear of Venezuela, Salon

If US whistleblower Edward Snowden takes refuge in Venezuela he might quickly wish he hadn’t. At least that’s the verdict of Chilean lawyer Jose Miguel Vivanco, who heads the Americas division of Human Rights Watch, the New York-based advocacy group.

Kerry said to give stern warning to Caracas on Snowden, UPI

Washington is reported to have warned Caracas it would be barred from entering any NATO airspace if it flies U.S. secrets leaker Edward Snowden to Venezuela. Secretary of State John Kerry, who Spanish newspaper ABC said made the warning to Venezuelan Foreign Minister Elias Jaua, also said Washington would halt all sales of vital gasoline and other refined-oil products to Venezuela if Snowden gets refuge in that country, the newspaper said.

Venezuela slams U.S. over ‘repressive regimes’ remarks, Reuters

Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro demanded the United States apologize on Thursday after the Obama administration’s nominee for envoy to the United Nations said there was a crackdown on civil society in the South American country.

Venezuela Inflation at 39.60%, Latin American Herald Tribune

The inflation rate for the month of June was at 4.7%, lower than that of May’s 6.1%, according to the Venezuelan Central Bank. This brings the rate of inflation for just the first half of 2013 to a total of 25% and the annualized rate at 39.6% — far from the Venezuelan government’s stated goal of keeping it between 14% and 16%.

Purchasing power down 10% due to inflation, El Universal

Venezuela’s minimum wage was increased by 20% on May 1 to USD 390, yet soaring prices have made such increase lose strength rapidly. In May-June this year, inflation shot up reducing purchasing power by 10%.Data from the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) indicates that since May 1, prices have swollen 17% in the case of food, 11.2% in transport, and 9% in clothing.

Venezuela: let there be dollars, Financial Times

The Venezuelan toilet paper shortage story says a lot about economic management in a country where the greenback fetches five times its official value on the parallel market. While Venezuelans have struggled to get their hands on everything from loo roll to toothpaste, authorities have been in denial about the grinding liquidity crunch that makes ordinary life – and business life – a daily struggle.

BCV sells US dollars at VEB 10.9 and VEB 11.7 in Sicad auction, El Universal

Devaluation of the bolivar was completed upon the auction sale of US dollars conducted by the Central Bank of Venezuela (BCV) through the Ancillary Foreign Currency Administration System (Sicad), where the exchange rate doubled that of VEB 5.30 per US dollar at its predecessor, the Transaction System for Foreign Currency Denominated Securities (Sitme).

Fitch: Venezuela’s Foreign Exchange Policy Faces Challenges, Reuters

Venezuela’s foreign exchange (FX) policy adjustments in 2013 could reduce fiscal imbalances and limit the need of continued external debt issuance. However, the room to stabilize creditworthiness could be constrained by weaker external buffers, limited upside for oil revenues and non-debt capital inflows, a rapidly decelerating economy, and political changes, according to a new Fitch Ratings report.

Venezuelan President Marries Longtime Companion, Wall Street Journal

Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro said on Tuesday that he had married his longtime companion, Cilia Flores, a prominent ruling party figure. Mr. Maduro, speaking during a cabinet meeting broadcast on state television, said the small ceremony was held Monday and was conducted by Jorge Rodríguez, a Caracas-area mayor.

 
May
8
2013
Posted by
admin
Comments

Nicolás Maduro off to an inauspicious start as Venezuela’s dubiously-elected president

Nicolas Maduro e1368042661461 Nicolás Maduro off to an inauspicious start as Venezuela’s dubiously elected president

Courtesy of: Agence France Presse

Almost immediately after Venezuela’s partisan electoral authority declared Nicolás Maduro the winner of last month’s presidential election, he and his ruling PSUV party faced a choice that may yet define Venezuela’s future for years to come. Reports of thousands of irregularities in the voting process, including suspicions of fraud, sparked fears about the election’s legitimacy. The actions of Maduro – who first consented to the opposition’s calls for a full and transparent recount, later issued a hasty retraction, and then began a crackdown on peaceful opposition protestors – has only deepened those fears.

Maduro’s desperation is perhaps well-founded: a poll today found that a majority of Venezuelans believe the country is on the wrong track and, if given the chance, most would now choose Henrique Capriles for president over Maduro. The uncertainty and repression surrounding the Venezuelan election has grown so egregious that President Obama has abstained from recognizing Maduro as the winner. The President observed that the “entire hemisphere has been watching the violence, the protests, the crackdowns on the opposition.” ABC reports:

President Barack Obama avoided recognizing the government of Venezuela during an interview with Univision, explaining that he was concerned about recent “crackdowns” against members of the Venezuelan opposition. He also said that recent reports suggest that basic principles of democracy and human rights are not being fully observed by Venezuela’s government.

Obama and the U.S. State Department are among a growing chorus calling for a full and transparent recount of the Venezuelan election, a chorus that now includes the Organization of American States, former Colombian president Alvaro Uribe, and internationally-respected human rights watchdog groups. Though Maduro may lack Hugo Chávez’s charisma and support among Venezuelans, he evinces the same contempt for the international community.  That contempt, combined with Maduro’s increasingly flagrant repression of his own people, mean that recent weeks for Venezuela have been turbulent indeed.

It’s hard to deny that Maduro’s “election” lacks legitimacy, before the eyes of both Venezuelans and the world. The partial audit the government agreed to is viewed as little more than a public relations gesture, and hardly sufficient to investigate the serious voting irregularities that led many to wonder whether Capriles was the election’s true winner.

As those doubts grow, Maduro has flexed the government’s authoritarian muscle to stifle dissent and cow the opposition into obedience. The state-run media – which recently tightened its grip on the airwaves by purchasing the previously-independent TV station Globovision – has dutifully propagandized on behalf of Maduro; the government recently severed the video feed of a Capriles speech, preventing the opposition leader from making his case to Venezuelans.

Such tactics haven’t prevented the opposition from making their voice heard. The din of “Cacerola” protests resounds throughout the country. Capriles has filed an official protest with the country’s Supreme Court which, comprised of Maduro’s political allies, is unlikely to intervene. Maduro and the PSUV have met these peaceful expressions of dissent, however, with strongman tactics. Capriles called off an opposition March after the government issued a veiled-threat of violence against the protestors. Opposition lawmakers have been barred from speaking in the National Assembly. And a bloody brawl in the National Assembly injured 17 opposition lawmakers. Now the government has intimated it may throw Capriles in jail.

Such tactics, though they fly in the face of democracy and human rights, at least demonstrate that Maduro is feeling the pressure. The Economist opined after the election that “without Chávez at the helm, chavismo, a noxious cocktail of populism, incompetence and repression, is a far less potent force.” Nicolas Maduro cannot strong-arm his way to legitimacy. But that hasn’t stopped him trying.

 
May
3
2013
Posted by
admin
Comments

In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 5/03/13

ay 108972837 e1367612866751 In Case You Missed It… Articles Roundup Week of 5/03/13

Courtesy of: EPA

This week: Venezuela stumbles deeper into political chaos after a bloody brawl in Congress; Venezuela’s opposition asks for an investigation into the brawl on the floor of Congress that injured several of its lawmakers and caused at least one of them to undergo surgery; Venezuela’s government charges a US filmmaker for allegedly trying to incite anti-government violence and charges an ex-general for being critical of president Nicolás Maduro; and Maduro visits Cuba to meet with former leader Fidel Castro and re-pledge Venezuela’s allegiance to the island. The government begins a partial audit of the disputed election, though the opposition rejects the move as insufficient; unable to force a sweeping review of the disputed election, Venezuelan opposition supporters march on International Workers Day; opposition leader Henrique Capriles files a lawsuit in Venezuela’s Supreme Court to overturn the election, alleging fraud in the counting of ballots and voter intimidation; and Venezuelans become increasingly upset with daily power outages, growing food scarcities and a general fear of the government. Venezuelan debt remains severe as tensions continue to rise; homicides in Venezuela reach a record high in 2013, as nearly 58 are killed per day during the first four months of the year, highlighting a dire security situation amid political instability; and the sale of Globovisión, Venezuela’s sole television station critical of the government, hurts free speech in Venezuela even further.

Political Chaos Grips Venezuela After Legislative Brawl and Rival Marches, The New York Times

Venezuela stumbled deeper into political chaos this week as legislators brawled in the National Assembly and government supporters and opponents took to the streets for rival marches amid continuing tensions over the narrow election victory of President Nicolás Maduro.

Venezuela Opposition Wants Probe of Violence, The Associated Press

Venezuela’s opposition on Thursday asked prosecutors to investigate a brawl on the floor of congress that injured several of its lawmakers and forced at least one of them to undergo surgery.

Venezuela Charges U.S. Filmmaker, Arrests Ex-General, The Wall Street Journal

Venezuelan authorities brought criminal charges over the weekend against a U.S. filmmaker for allegedly trying to foment antigovernment violence, and arrested a retired Army general who has become a vocal critic of the government.

Venezuela’s New Leader Visits Cuba, Meets With Castro, The Wall Street Journal

Nicolás Maduro met with former Cuban President Fidel Castro in Havana on Saturday, an indication Venezuela’s new president will maintain the same close relations with the Communist island nation as that of his predecessor Hugo Chávez, who died last month after a battle with cancer.

Contentious Venezuela vote audit begins, AFP

Venezuela began a partial audit of the disputed election won by the late Hugo Chavez’s handpicked successor, as the opposition rejected the move as insufficient.

Venezuelan opposition protests vote, The Washington Post

Unable to force a sweeping review of last month’s disputed presidential election, opposition supporters marched in the streets Wednesday to demonstrate their fury at the ruling party’s efforts to blunt a recount.

Venezuelan Opposition Sues to Overturn Election, The Wall Street Journal

Venezuela opposition leader Henrique Capriles filed a lawsuit Thursday with the Supreme Court that seeks to overturn April’s presidential election, alleging fraud in the counting of ballots and pre-election voter intimidation.

Venezuelans on the Brink, Putting Up With Daily Outages, Growing Scarcity and Fear, Fox News Latino

There’s an old joke about the rabbi who explained to his congregants that Adam and Eve were the first communists, because they wore no clothes, had one apple between them, and thought they lived in paradise.

Venezuelan Debt Under Pressure As Tensions Rise, The Wall Street Journal

Abating a week ago, tensions in Venezuela are fast rising again, and it doesn’t bode well for the country’s debt.

Venezuelan Homicides Reach Record High In 2013, InSight Crime

Murders in Venezuela reached a record high of 58 per day during the first four months of the year, according to police figures contested by the government, highlighting a dire security situation amid political instability.

What the Sale of Venezuela’s Opposition TV Station Means for Free Speech, The Atlantic

Globovision is Venezuela’s last-remaining television station that is openly critical of the government of Hugo Chavez, (and his chosen puppet successor Nicolas Maduro) but on April 15, the majority shareholder Guillermo Zuloaga sold his portion to businessman Juan Domingo Cordero, sending both members of the opposition and some journalist rights groups into a frenzy.