More on the Human Rights NGOs conspiracy

In early June, following the presentations of human rights NGOs and the Venezuelan Government  before the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, government officials, including President Nicolás Maduro and National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello, attacked the NGOs accusing them of being under the pay of the “Empire” and of conspiring to destabilize the country.

In June 29 and 30, Venezuela came up for its periodic revision by the Human Rights Committee of the United Nations. The head the Venezuelan government delegation, Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz, in her presentation assured that the NGOs and independent human right activists who had given information to the Committee, would suffer no retaliations from the Venezuelan government.

The next day however, Diosdado Cabello in his public television show “Con el Mazo Dando,” again repeated claims that the human rights NGOs conspire against the government “and defend obscure interests.”

Cabello said during his show:

“On December 4, 2014, Alfredo Romero, Feliciano Reyna, and Rafael Uzcátegui, put together a workshop at the Hotel Garden Suite on how to present human rights cases to international organizations. The workshop was directed by Ben Leather and Eleanor Openshaw, representatives of the International Service for Human Rights (ISHR), which counts as one of its members that Colombian Lawyer Gustavo Gallón Girardo, a close friend of William Brownfield, who has served as US ambassador in Colombia, Venezuela and Chile. This is where the attacks are coming from…”

“…Among those present [in the June session of the Human Rights Committee in Geneva], were members of human rights NGOs. Several among them are protagonists of conspiracies and defend obscure interests behind the façade [of the NGOs]. They are: Carlos Correa (Espacio Público), Alfredo Romero and Tamara Sujú (Foro Penal Venezolano), Ligia Bolívar (Foro por la Vida), Rocio San Miguel (Control Ciudadano, a fake NGO [ONG de maletín]), Humberto Prado (Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones), and Feliciano Reyna (Codevida, and Sinergia), among others.”

Marino Alvardo, of PROVEA, responded to the accusations: “A democratic government regards the participation of civil society as a positive thing, it even stimulates it. Unfortunately the government of President Nicolás Maduro thinks the participation of civil society is part of an international conspiracy against Venezuela. Human rights activists are disqualified and in some instances are persecuted when they try to contribute to the debate over the situation of human rights in the country.”

Using conspiracy theories against the internal enemies: NGOs

Venezuela’s human rights organization PROVEA has expressed its concerns about recent accusations made by the president of the National Assembly Diosdado against several human right activists and union leaders.

In his television show “Con el Mazo Dando”, Cabello accused the activists of being part of “conspiracy plans” against the government. As evidence Cabello showed pictures of the activists participating in a public meeting which was also attended by officials of the embassies of Canada and of the United States in Caracas. He also praised an anonymous informer or patriota cooperante for the pictures and the information.

Here is the complete text of PROVEA’s press note:

Diosdado Cabello insiste en criminalizar a los defensores de Derechos Humanos y activistas sociales

El presidente de la Asamblea Nacional, diputado Diosdado Cabello, sigue haciendo uso del sistema nacional de medios públicos para criminalizar la labor de los defensores de derechos humanos y activistas sociales del país. 

En su programa “Con el mazo dando” transmitido este 11.03.2015 en el canal del Estado Venezolana de Televisión (VTV), Cabello se refirió a los activistas Esperanza Hermida, Coordinadora de Exigibilidad de Provea; Marco Ponce, director de la ONG Observatorio Venezolano de Conflictividad Social (OVCS); Carlos Lusverti, miembro de Amnistía Internacional Venezuela; Mikel Las Heras, director de ConflictoVE; Orlando Chirino, dirigente de la corriente sindical CCURA y Marcela Máspero, dirigente sindical de UNETE, por su participación en un foro realizado el pasado 04.03.2015 en la ciudad de Caracas y organizado por el OVCS, en el marco de la presentación del informe de conflictividad laboral en Venezuela, realizado por esta ONG.

Cabello descalificó a los activistas e insistió en señalar que su labor forma parte de “planes conspirativos”. Mencionó que en la referida actividad (convocada y reallizada de manera pública), se encontraban presentes funcionarios de las embajadas de Estados Unidos y Cánada. Además, el presidente de la Asamblea Nacional dijo que las ONG se preparan para presentar información sobre la situación de los derechos humanos en el país en las próximas audiencias de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos (CIDH) este 17 de marzo, lo cuál -afirmamos- es una función pública y legítima de las ONG defensoras de derechos humanos.

La Declaración de la Organización de Naciones Unidas sobre Defensores de Derechos Humanos, consagra la necesidad y obligación de los Estados de proporcionar apoyo y protección a los defensores de los derechos humanos en el desempeño de su labor. Asimismo, la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos Humanos a través de sus relatorías especiales para defensores de Derechos Humanos ha expresado constantemente su preocupación por la persistencia desituaciones de amenazas y hostigamientos contra defensoras y defensores de derechos humanos, y por la creciente criminalización de sus actividades en contextos de amenazas generales a las libertades democráticas y al ejercicio de derechos por parte de la ciudadanía.

Provea lamenta que los funcionarios del Estado venezolano insistan en criminalizar la labor de las ONG, y reitera que es responsabilidad del Gobierno y las instituciones las posibles agresiones que puedan producirse contra los defensores y activistas y sus familiares como consecuencia de esta reiterada conducta. (Prensa Provea, 12.03.2015).

Here is the clip of Cabello’s show on public television channel Venezolana de Televisión:

Human Rights NGOs are funded by the United States

The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) of the Organization of American States is holding its 153rd hearings session in Washington.

On 28 October the Commission heard the case of Venezuela. Local NGOs, among them COFAVIC and PROVEA, made a detailed presentation of 892 cases of human rights violations in Venezuela.

Germán Saltrón responded for the Venezuelan State that all human rights NGOs operating in the country are “financed by the United States,” and that they are in cahoots with “90% of the local and international media” in a plot to “attack and play down the historical importance of the victories of the Venezuelan government.”

Today Saltrón published an article in the web portal Aporrea elaborating his argument:

"In order to achieve social justice the eternal president Hugo Chávez Frías decreed the nationalization of our oil industry and strengthened the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries for the defense of a fair price for oil. As a consequence of these actions of sovereignty, the government of the United States, together with the Venezuelan opposition, initiated since 1999 an internal and external campaign of discredit, falsely presenting president Chávez as a dictator and a human rights violator.

"To accomplish this they have used Venezuelan and foreign NGOs to present reckless, unfounded, and false denunciations [of human rights violations]." 

(Image Talcualdigital)

Rodríguez Torres: we respected human rights even when dealing with extreme Right conspiracy

Yesterday during the Regional Meeting of UNASUR in Caracas to discuss human rights and citizen’s security, Venezuela’s Interior and Justice Minister, Miguel Rodríguez Torres explained that in the previous regimes the intelligence police service (then called DISIP) “was an institution outside of the law. They did everything they wanted with the human rights of Venezuelans. The DISIP was involved in the banishment of people, torture, and the murdering of many Venezuelans for political reasons.”

Instead, according to the Minister, the current Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia (SEBIN) is an institution that upholds human rights. The proof of this is the way in which the SEBIN and the National Guard dealt with the opposition protests at the beginning of this year: “We broke the guarimbas [street barricades]. It was three months of a conspiracy on the streets by the extreme Right that wanted to reach power by violent means, and we did this with a maximum respect to human rights, and whenever and officer incurred in any violation, we proceeded immediately. We have several officers that are facing trials for the use of fire arms of for having mistreated Venezuelans,” said Rodríguez Torres.

Five officers of SEBIN stand accused of having fired live rounds at protesters on 12 February in La Candelaria, Caracas, killing one person and injuring several others. The SEBIN has repeatedly been accused, by the opposition and human rights NGOs, of human rights violations.

(Rodríguez Torres. Image AVN)

Diosdado Cabello: The NGOs conspiracy

The President of the National Assembly and vice-president of the PSUV, Diosdado Cabello, has his own television show on the public channel Venezolana de Televisión.

In last night’s program Cabello claimed that there is a vast conspiracy led by local NGOs linked to the “continued coup by the right” with the aim of imposing “a capitalist scheme in the country.”

The conspiracy, according to Cabello, includes several local NGO leaders linked to a “world NGO called Global Sharpers Community, backed by the World Economic Forum and founded by its current president, Klaus Schwab.” This organization, explained Cabello, “advices and recruits young people interested in the areas pf political and institutional economy all over the world, and in Venezuela it counts with the active participation of Juan Rodrigo Diamanti.” (director of the local NGO Un mundo sin mordaza –“identified with the right” according to AVN.)

Cabello said that he will soon provide local judges with the evidence of this conspiracy compiled by government intelligence services. He did not specify why he had access to the intelligence reports or why they haven’t been handed directly to the judiciary by the intelligence services.

He did however reveal the list of names of NGO leaders he accuses of participating in the conspiracy: Carlos Beltrán, Giuvana Molina, Alejandro Otero, Juan José Pocaterra, Mariana Ramírez, Nicolás Cárdenas, Daniela Panaro, Carlos Beltrán Pérez, Ivonne González Vela, Alexandra Wilker Osorio, Mariana Ramírez Uzcátegui, Fanny Brizuela, Luis Andrés Rodríguez Millán, Henry Rafael Magdaleno, Roberto Patiño, Andrés González Silent, Linda Briceño, Víctor Romero, Daniela Paoli, Alfredo Romero.

Cabello also provided an explanation on the part these NGOs play in the conspiracy. Apart from channeling international fund for a “continuing coup” and recruiting young people, these organizations are committing the crime of “twisting reality” by claiming that capitalism is better than socialism: “They try to present the [socialist] model as ungratifying to humans, thus they try to turn reality upside down. [The truth is that] There is no model more ungratifying, and that produces so much unhappiness to humans, than capitalism…”

“Insurrectional Conspiracy”: Rodríguez Torres provides more theories but no evidence

President Maduro had announced two days ago that today Interior, Justice and Peace Minister Miguel Rodríguez Torres, would reveal the evidence of coup d’état plans by the opposition against the Venezuelan government.

Moments ago, in a press conference Minister Rodríguez Torres gave details of “a plan of insurrectional conspiracy with the clear aim of overthrowing the legitimate government of the country, [a plan] that adheres to the permanent strategic objective of the State Department of the United States.”

Rodríguez Torres did not provide any evidence to sustain his claims. However he did give new details of the plot by the United States already denounced by President Maduro. According to him Venezuela is under attack on at least two fronts: drug trafficking and Human Rights. These two fronts are used to create an environment that would make acceptable a military intervention in the country.

On the Human Rights front, Rodríguez Torres explained that unspecified “US institutions” and NGOs “compile manipulated information in order to try to make the world believe that in Venezuela human rights are permanently violated.” On the other, “drug trafficking” front, “they name high Venezuelan government officials as implicated in financing terrorism and drug smuggling activities with the aim of making Venezuela appear as a rogue State.”

Short of evidence, Rodríguez Torres reminded the audience of the several times he has alerted of this plot, for example he again accused student and opposition leaders of having met last year in México to plan the recent protests in Venezuela. He also again recalled the arrest of the US national Timothy Allen on charges of being a CIA agent in April 2013. A long list of the usual suspects of conspiring against the country was also provided: Álvaro Uribe Vélez, Vilca Fernández, Lorent Saleh, Julio Rivas (JAVU), Carlos Vecchio, María Corina Machado, David smolansky, Gustavo Tovar Arroyo, Leopoldo López, Eligio Cedeño, José Antonio Colina, Gene Sharp, Pedro Burelli, Gustavo Tovar Arroyo, Daniel Ceballos, Lester Toledo, and Freddy Guevara. He also said that there are 58 foreign nationals detained so far accused of being mercenaries. He warned that the murder of chavista leader Eliézer Otaiza "was not casual," just as Maduro had suggested two days ago.

Rodríguez Torres finally explained the aims of these attacks on the country: “In the first place, a political-strategic objective is to halt the continental propagation of the Bolivarian Ideal, this is something fundamental for the United States and [in the second place] to gain control of the Orinoco Petro-belt, the biggest in the planet.”

Image by El Universal

Otaiza’s murder was planned in Miami

The police investigation of chavista leader Eliézer Otaiza’s murder is still in progress and results are pending. President Maduro, however, says he already knows the truth about the case: The assassination was plotted in Miami by “sectors that once had media and economic power in Venezuela.”

Maduro made the revelations during his May First commemoration speech broadcast live on national cadena. “Otaiza’s murder was planned and executed as a false positive so it could be presented to public opinion as only another crime event, just as they do it in Colombia,” he explained.

The conspiracy theory has found echo in several articles published by the chavista web page Aporrea.org. For example, the author of Otaiza Odiar a los gringos (Otaiza hate gringos), argues that “we have terrorists deployed in the nation that are acting with impunity in the name of human rights. This counter-revolutionary program will not cease even with dialogue. The phase of elimination of [revolutionary] leaders has increased. (…) the interesting thing is that we don’t have to wait for the gringos to invade, they are already in the country. They are terrorist groups that have been trained during six years by NGO’s and financed by the NED [National Endowment for Democracy], they are paramilitaries and some of the opposition militants. The gringos are playing their game with dummies made for USA in Venezuela [in English in the original].” 

Another article, Los conspiradores escogen muy bien a sus víctimas [Conspirators chose their victims well], criticizes the government for being too complacent with conspiracies. The author believes Otaiza was chosen as a target because the opposition knew that, in the event of a coup d’état, Otaiza would lead the resistance in the Libertador Municipality.