First, to state the obvious for those who need the obvious stated: the United States has no business meddling in the internal affairs of Venezuela. Given its history of meddling in the affairs of its southern neighbors, and the horrific massacres resulting directly or indirectly from that meddling, the United States has no business meddling in the internal affairs of Venezuela. But having said that, no one should be deluded as to the character of Venezuela's government, and no one should be deluded as to the cause of the current uprising.
Human Rights Watch:
Under the leadership of President Chávez and now President Maduro, the accumulation of power in the executive branch and the erosion of human rights guarantees have enabled the government to intimidate, censor, and prosecute its critics. While many Venezuelans continue to criticize the government, the prospect of facing reprisals—in the form of arbitrary or abusive state action—has undercut the ability of judges to fairly adjudicate politically sensitive cases, and forced journalists and rights defenders to weigh the consequences of publicizing information and opinions that are critical of the government.
In September 2013, the Venezuelan government's decision to withdraw from the American Convention on Human Rights took effect, leaving Venezuelans without access to the Inter-American Court on Human Rights, an international tribunal that has protected their rights for decades in a wide array of cases.
Police abuse, prison conditions, and impunity for abuses by security forces remain serious problems.
Amnesty International's most recent reports:
- February 19, 2014:
The charges brought against Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López smack of a politically motivated attempt to silence dissent in the country, said Amnesty International.
“Venezuelan authorities must either present solid evidence to substantiate the charges against López or release him immediately and unconditionally,” said Guadalupe Marengo, Amnesty International Americas Programme Deputy Director.
“These charges appear to be politically motivated because of his leadership in the recent anti-government protests. Currently, Amnesty International has not seen evidence to substantiate these charges. This is an affront to justice and free assembly.”
- February 18, 2014:
The headquarters of opposition party Voluntad Popular (Popular Will) were raided three times by security forces on 17 February. The raids appear to be an attempt to intimidate party members following their participation in recent anti-government protests.
- February 13, 2014:
Authorities in Venezuela must urgently investigate the deaths of three people during protests yesterday, said Amnesty International.
“It is extremely concerning that violence has become a regular feature during protests in Venezuela. If the authorities are truly committed to preventing more deaths, they must ensure those responsible for the violence, demonstrators, security forces and armed civilians alike face justice,” said Guadalupe Marengo, Americas Deputy Director at Amnesty International.
“Protesters still held in detention must be charged with a crime or immediately released.”
According to reports, journalists were prevented from covering the protests. At least one TV channel is now believed to have been blocked.
Reporters Without Borders:
Various factors make Venezuela one of the western hemisphere’s most worrying countries as regards freedom of information.
They include the requirement for broadcast media to carry government speeches, called cadenas, the creation of a new intelligence agency with powers that threaten access to information, a restrictive legal framework, and the government’s systematic harassment of news media and journalists.
As a result, Venezuela is ranked 116th out of 180 countries in the 2014 Reporters Without Borders Press Freedom Index.
Electronic Frontier Foundation:
For the last month, Venezuela has been caught up in widespread protests against its government. The Maduro administration has responded by cracking down on what it claims as being foreign interference online. As that social unrest has escalated, the state's censorship has widened: from the removal of television stations from cable networks, to the targeted blocking of social networking services, and the announcement of new government powers to censor and monitor online. Last night, EFF received reports from Venezuelans of the shutdown of the state Internet provider in San Cristóbal, a regional capital in the west of the country....
Last week also saw the Venezuelan government prepare more systematic monitoring and blocking online. The country's official gazette published last Thursday the details of a new government institution, CESPPA ("The Strategic Center for Security and Protection of the Country"). Among its broad powers, CESPPA can unilaterally classify and censor any information it sees as a threat to national security. Its structure includes two new Directorates: the Directorate of Information and Technology Studies, which will be in charge of "processing and analyzing information from the web"; and the Directorate for Social Research, intended to "neutralize and defeat destabilization plans against the nation". The Center will also provide for a network of situation rooms to be placed in all public institutions (the state ISP, CANTV, is defined as a public institution).
When first announced in October, CESPPA was criticized for being an unconstitutional attack on press freedom. With its new details revealed, it's clear that it will also have a wide mandate to monitor and control all online communications in the defence of the state.
The United States has no business meddling in the internal affairs of Venezuela, but anyone who thinks the ongoing uprising in Venezuela is due to the machinations of the United States isn't paying attention. And advocates of democracy and civil liberties should be no more accepting of corruption, repression, and brutality from left wing governments than they are accepting of them from right wing governments.