What’s happening in Venezuela? It is hard to determine at the moment as many news sources have been banned from entering into the country and reporting on the atrocities at hand.
Students have taken to the streets in protest against the current government and the ways they are running Venezuela. The protests started in early February and have continued throughout the month; the starting point was in the two western states of Tachira and Merida. Many students have taken to the streets and have started protesting about the high crime rates and shortages of food items. Among these student protesters is the opposition leader Heneique Capriles. Though the opposition leader is a part of the protests and demonstrations now, he only joined after the protests turned violent and protesters were killed because of this.
The first deaths that occurred in the Venezuelan protest demonstration was reported on February 12th. The violence has been said to be caused by pro-government motorcycle gangs as well as the protesters. Protesters are penalized for throwing harmful objects at police and starting riots that then get out of control. Reports have come in that the government is calling for a media blackout to avoid the international community reporting on the current status of the protests. Many news stations have been taken off the air due to their reports on the protests and reports have come forward about media workers being harassed by police, armed groups or even protesters.
The protesters are doing what they can to get a free flow of information out to the rest of the world to show what is happening in the country of Venezuela at this very moment in regards to the violence, protests, and what the government’s response to the demonstrations are. Due to the lack of credible sources present in Venezuela at the current time, it is hard to determine what exactly the media is being allowed to cover in terms of the protests from the opposition.
The Venezuelan government has come out and urged the supporters of the government to slow their strength and fight against the opposition of the government protesters. The government is also concerned of a slow coup being attempted by the protesters, causing chaos until the government eventually topples over and anarchy ensues.
The relations between Venezuela and the United States have been strained in the recent weeks. Due to the Venezuelan government claiming that the United States diplomats have stirred the protests, three United States diplomats have been expelled from Venezuela. President Obama has come out and stated that the violence used against the protesters is unacceptable due to the excessive force being demonstrated. The allies of Venezuela have stated their support to the government and blamed all of the violence on the opposition party.
It is unclear how long this situation will continue and how it will be resolved.
– Adam Samji
THE YOUNG INTERNATIONALIST ~ Seeing the World with a Global Perspective 