LAST Friday, over 50,000 Cubans attended a rally in solidarity with Venezuela, a country facing the threat of US military aggression.
The crowd was made up of young people, workers, and soldiers gathered before the equestrian statue of Simon Bolivar on Presidents’ Avenue in Havana, where they demanded that the United States respect the Venezuelan nation.
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel attended the solidarity event, along with Pedro Infante, first vice president of Venezuela’s National Assembly.
During the event, organisers announced that over four million signatures had been collected during the campaign by the Cuban people in September.
The solidarity rally included several artistic performances, among them a rendition by Cuban singer Walner Cano of the song ‘Venezuela,’ by Pablo Herrero Ibarz and Jose Luis Armenteros Sanchez.
Annie Garces and rapper Ramon performed the track ‘Latinoamerica’ by the group Calle 13. They were joined by the Cuban National Choir and the Revolucion dance company.
The President of Venezuela, Nicolás Maduro, condemned last Thursday the interventionist policy of the United States, after the recent statements of president Donald Trump, where he admitted to having authorised covert operations of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Venezuela.
Maduro described the measure ordered by Trump as ‘desperate’.
Maduro added: ‘Never has any previous government, since the CIA existed, publicly said that it sent the CIA to kill, overthrow and finish off countries.’
The president referred to historic coups d’état in Latin America, in which the CIA was involved, citing the cases of the presidents: Guatemala (1954), Juan Jacobo Árbenz; Dominican Republic (1965), Juan Emilio Bosch Gaviño; Brazil (1964) João Goulart; and Chile (1973) Salvador Allende.
He mentioned all the governments overthrown and the presidents assassinated by the CIA, including the overthrow of Mohammad Mosaddeq in Iran (1953).
He also said that these actions by the US government seek to intensify psychological warfare to frighten and divide the Venezuelan population.
Maduro added: ‘Our people are clear, united and aware and have the ways to defeat this open conspiracy against the peace and stability of Venezuela.’
Maduro questioned US priorities, saying it ‘invests in wars instead of serving the 40 million poor in its territory’. In addition, he affirmed that ‘the interest of the imperialists in Venezuela lies in its resources, such as oil, gas, gold and water’.
Venezuela’s ambassador to the United Nations (UN), Samuel Moncada, announced last Thursday, that his government delivered a letter to the Security Council of the international organisation in which it requests an investigation of the murders committed by US forces in international waters of the Caribbean Sea, and to establish their illegal nature.
In the letter, they denounce that on October 14th, US officials committed a ‘new series of extrajudicial executions’ in the Caribbean, a few miles off the Venezuelan coast, against civilians who were in a small boat.
The letter details that the victims were identified as two humble fishermen from Trinidad and Tobago.
Caracas warned that US’ actions are in direct violation of Article 2.4 of the United Nations Charter, which prohibits the use of force.
They point out that in addition to this open military threat, the recent secret authorisation from the White House to the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to carry out covert ‘lethal operations’ in Venezuela and carry out illegal operations in the Caribbean.
Last Wednesday, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro reaffirmed his nation’s unwavering commitment to peace, sovereignty, and dignity, unveiling a new plan to strengthen territorial defence amid reports of renewed US covert activity in the region.
In a televised address on Wednesday, Maduro declared the establishment of Comprehensive defence Zones along the country’s western frontier with Colombia, including the states of Táchira, Apure, and Amazonas, areas long regarded as vital to national security and regional stability.
Maduro said: ‘Venezuela continues to earn peace by exercising full sovereignty and defending the right to life and joy of its people.
‘We are a model of dignity, courage, and hard work, a people determined to live in peace and to defend our homeland with honour.’
- Meanwhile, last Friday Prime Minister Ernesto Alvarez announced that the Peruvian government declared a state of emergency in the capital city Lima.
Justified as a measure to curb extortion, contract killings, and other crimes, the decision seeks to curb protests and mobilisations against Interim President Jose Jeri.
Previous protests on Wednesday, culminated in the death of 32-year-old musician Eduardo Ruiz, shot by police, in addition to 30 civilians and 80 officers being injured.
The Council of Ministers assessed these events before announcing the state of emergency.
Alvarez announced that the Armed Forces will support the National Police in regaining territorial control and fundamental rights such as freedom of assembly and movement will be suspended ‘to combat organised crime’.
The Socialist Party presented a motion of censure against President Jeri and the Congressional Board of Directors for police repression.
The initiative gathered the necessary 20 signatures, but was rejected in the plenary session with 63 votes against and four abstentions.
Jeri reiterated that in a state governed by the rule of law, both protesters and law enforcement are protected, declaring that he will not resign and lamented the death of the protester, attributing the riots to a small group seeking ‘to create chaos’.
National Police Commander Oscar Arriola stated that Officer Luis Magallanes, the perpetrator of the shooting, is in the Police Hospital with multiple injuries, although he already has an arrest warrant.
Arriola also announced that generals directly responsible for the operations during the protest have been removed from their posts, in what he defended as an attempt to ‘guarantee the transparency and impartiality’ of the investigations.
Eduardo Ruiz’s family is considering filing a murder charge against Jeri and his administration for ‘indirect authorship’.
The Department of Protection of Citizens’ Rights reported 120 injuries, including three minors, in the protest against corruption and insecurity.
- Meantime, the Confederation of National Indigenous Peoples of Ecuador (CONAIE) responded last Friday after at least three people have been killed in Ecuador as a result of the police repression ordered by the government of president Daniel Noboa, on the 25th day of the national strike last Thursday.
The Confederation of National Indigenous Peoples of Ecuador said that it was standing firm and encouraged all Ecuadorian workers to join the national strike.
CONAIE stated: ‘We denounce the manipulation and misinformation that seeks to confuse public opinion and weaken the unity of the Indigenous movement.
‘Our rank and file members reaffirm and will continue their resistance and vigilance, and express their position. We continue to fight against the government.
‘The strength of the Indigenous movement has always been its organisational fabric, internal cohesion and collective leadership.
‘In the most difficult moments, unity has been our greatest tool to resist and move forward as peoples and nationalities.’
The Indigenous communities of Ecuador have been carrying out a national strike for 25 days, where, in addition to rejecting the cuts and land seizures being carried out by of Noboa, they demand the restitution of the diesel subsidy, quality and free public health, and the return of the value added tax (VAT) to 12 per cent, after the president increased it last year to 15 per cent.
Another of the premises is that the demonstrators reject the referendum called by the president for November 16 where a vote must be taken if they want to continue with the Constitution in force since the mandate of Rafael Correa (2007-2017) or open the process to draft a new Magna Carta.
To date, the government’s crackdown has left three people killed.
The Alliance of Human Rights Organisations charity said that 172 people have been detained, 282 injured and 15 people kidnapped.
346 human rights violations have been reported.
