Maduro creates an intelligence unit for the defense of the Fatherland

In a post published today in the blog Venezuelan Politics and Human Rights, I write about the recent creation by President Maduro of the Centro Estratégico de Seguridad y Protección de la Patria (CESPPA.)

This has been a matter of much concern for local and international media organizations. Specially because of the ambiguous and wide powers bestowed on the Presidency by articles 3 and 9 of the CESSPA Promulgation Decree.

Here is a translation of those two polemical articles:

Article 3. The Strategic Center for Security and Protection of the Fatherland will request, organize, integrate, and evaluate the information associated with internal and external enemy activity, from all security and intelligence agencies of the State or other public and private agencies, that is of interest for the strategic concerns of the Nation, according to the requirements of the Political Military Directorate of the Bolivarian Revolution.

Article 9. The President of the CESPPA may declare as reserved, classified, or of limited circulation, any information, fact, or circumstance that, in the fulfillment of his functions he may have knowledge of, or that has been processed in the CESPPA, in conformity with Article 59 of the Organic Law of Administrative Procedures and the Article 171 of the Organic Law of Public Administration.