The Venezuela Reader

  2017: 29 Dark-Skinned People Were Set on Fire by Opposition Rioters In April 2017, daily anti-government riots began in wealthy municipalities. The rioting lasted for 120 consecutive days. Rioters built barricades that blocked streets, looted businesses, attacked government buildings and threw Molotov cocktails at police and National Guardsmen who prevented them from breaking out into other downtown areas. The rioters burnt twenty-nine dark-skinned people, of whom nine died.[1] 22-year-old, Orlando Figuera was walking through the Altamira Plaza in Chacao municipality in Caracas on May 20, 2017 when he encountered a group of anti-government rioters. Figuera was stabbed in the stomach six times, doused with gasoline and set on fire. He was taken to a nearby hospital with burns over 80% of his body and died two weeks later. The incident was filmed: ·         “The video of the incident- which shows an anti-government protester throwing accel...

  2015: The Opposition’s Victory in the National Assembly Election Was the Result of   U .S. Government Funding On December 6, 2015, the election for the 167 seats in the National Assembly was held. The Venezuelan opposition coalition, the Roundtable of Democratic Unity (MUD) won a majority of the seats. It was the first opposition victory in a national election since 1999. The United States congratulated the people of Venezuela “for making their voices heard in a peaceful and democratic way on election day” [1] The general consensus was that the MUD coalition had won “…by capitalizing on anger over a shrinking economy, soaring prices and chronic product shortages.” [2] The official campaign lasted from November 13 to December 3. One notable feature in the campaign was:” The opposition’s main campaigning was through local and international media and social media, with very little street campaigning.” [3] Six years later in 2021, Professor Tim Gill of the Department of Soc...

  2025: The Western Media’s One-Sided View of Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Maria Machado   On October 10, 2025, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to Maria Machado “leader of the democracy movement in Venezuela.” The Nobel Committee justified the award on the basis of Machado’s “tireless work promoting democratic rights” and “her struggle to achieve a just and peaceful transition from dictatorship to democracy.” FAIR (Fairness & Accuracy In Reporting) is a national progressive media watchdog group. FAIR released an article summarizing the Western media’s coverage of Maria Machado and the Nobel Prize [1]: “Rather than scrutinize the opposition politician’s credentials, the media establishment seized the opportunity to whitewash the most unpeaceful elements in her background.” “The Nobel Prize meant corporate outlets had to give their readers an idea of Machado’s political trajectory. And though some had profile pieces, there was a concerted effort to conceal the most un...

  2016: In a Racist Act, The Portraits of Simon Bolivar were Removed from the National Assembly Simon Bolivar was born in Caracas, Venezuela on July 24, 1783.He was a soldier who led the revolution against Spanish rule in Venezuela, Columbia, Ecuador, Peru, Panama, and Bolivia and is known as El Libertador . Bolivar is buried in the National Pantheon in Caracas. Since 1879, the national currency of Venezuela has been the Bolivar. The full official name of Venezuela is the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela. This name was adopted in 1999 under the new constitution established by President Hugo Chavez. Most historical accounts say tuberculosis killed Bolivar. But in 2010 Chavez ordered investigators to exhume his body to determine if he was poisoned. A report in 2012 said the investigation was inconclusive. A 3D image of Bolivar’s head was created using multiple scans of his skull and forensic facial reconstruction methods. Other details were added in manually- like ...

  2015-2016: President Maduro Recognized the National Assembly Opposition Majority On December 6, 2015 Venezuela held an election for the 167 seats in the National Assembly (NA). In the early morning hours of December 7, Tibisay Lucena, the President of the National Electoral Council, announced that the opposition coalition had won a majority of the seats. President Maduro appeared on national TV and accepted the results. The newly-elected National Assembly was seated on January 5, 2016.Maduro instructed the military to guarantee the opposition access to the Assembly so that it could be seated peacefully. [5] Long-time Assembly member Henry Ramos Allup was elected the NA President. He stated that the NA would oust Maduro from the Presidency within six months. Maduro delivered his 2016 State of Nation address before the National Assembly on January 15,2016. He spoke for three hours. His speech was broadcast live on all the TV stations in Venezuela. He reiterated his acceptance...

  2008: President Bush Reactivated the 4 th Fleet The 4 th Fleet was created in 1943 and was a major US Navy formation in the South Atlantic Ocean during World War II. It was established to intercept German surface vessels, blockade runners and submarines.   The 4 th Fleet was dissolved in 1950. In 2008, President Bush reactivated the 4 th Fleet which started patrolling the waters around South and Central America in July. The Fleet was based at the Mayport Naval Station in Jacksonville, Florida and answered to the U.S. Southern Command. The Fleet initially consisted of twelve vessels including the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier, USS George Washington. The Fleet’s missions were listed as: support for peacekeeping, humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, traditional maritime exercises, and counterdrug operations [1]. The announcement of the recreation of the Fourth Fleet caught most Latin American governments by surprise, many noting that they had received no advan...

  2009: Lina Ron, a Prominent Chavez-Supporter, Jailed for Attack on TV Station Lina Ron was well-known for her radicalism, street activism, and grassroots activities. She was the founder and President of the Venezuelan Popular Unity Party (UPV), an anti-imperialist left revolutionary party which supported President Hugo Chavez. She ran a cultural center, hosted alternative television programs, and was “one of the strongest activists in the electoral campaign for the re-election campaign of President Chavez”[3]. On August 3, 2009, she led a small group of people in a tear gas attack on the offices of the pro-opposition television station Globovision in La Florida, Caracas [1]. They clashed with police and made their getaway on motorcycles. It was thought that the attack may have been revenge for an attack of vandalism by opposition supporters against the La Voz de Turmero 97.7 FM community radio station in Santiago Marino municipality in the early hours of August 3 [2]. On Au...

  2018: Henri Falcon Defied the U.S. and Ran for President of Venezuela The 2018 Presidential election was scheduled for May 20, 2018.President Nicolas Maduro announced that he was running for reelection. Democratic Action Party Leader and National Assembly Member Ramos Allup and Progressive Advance Party Leader and Former Governor Henri Falcon announced that they were candidates for President. Todd Robinson, US Charge d’Affaires in Caracas, visited with Ramos Allup and Falcon to try and convince them to not run.[1] Ramos Allup did not register as a candidate. ·        “What was the extortion, the blackmail they used so Ramos Allup wouldn’t take part?” asked Jorge Rodriguez, Minister of Communication.[1] ·        “According to sources with knowledge of the matter, Henri Falcon was told by U.S. officials that the Trump administration would consider financial sanctions against him if he entered the Presidential race....

  2000: President Chavez Stopped 450 US Soldiers from Landing for “an extended stay” The State of Vargas (renamed la Guaira in 2019) was located on the Caribbean Sea on an alluvial plain created by soil washed down from a nearby mountain range. The population of Vargas in 1999 was about 298,000. Between December 14 and 16, 1999, the region received 36 inches of rainfall. Mudslides caused massive destruction of most of the state infrastructure, including the collapse of most roads, bridges, housing, public and private buildings, and of basic services as electricity and communications. Official estimates were that some 50,000 were dead or missing. In the following weeks nearly the entire state's population was displaced. Venezuela appealed for international help. The U.S initially sent military helicopters and cargo planes with medical supplies, water purification machines and 120 soldiers. The US provided $3.4 million in aid. On December 24, 1999, Defense Minister Raul Salazar a...

  2011: President Chavez Stopped Venezuela’s Nuclear Energy Program Venezuela’s plans for a nuclear energy program were first announced in November 2008, when Chavez revealed that Venezuelan and Russian experts had begun developing a bi-lateral nuclear accord to be discussed during Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s visit to Venezuela later that month [1]. Having formally negotiating the nuclear accord with Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in April 2010, six months later in October 2010 in Moscow, Chavez and Medvedev officially signed an agreement for the Russian state nuclear power company, Rosatom, to build two 1,200 megawatt nuclear reactors. [1] The timing on the deal was vague, and it was unclear whether the cost and scientific expertise for a nuclear program were outside of Venezuela’s reach. [2] Sergie Kiriyenko, the chief executive of Rosatom, left open a wide range of possibilities for when Russia might begin work on a new nuclear power plant. “It could be in ten y...

  2019: Congress Failed to Enact Legislation to Prohibit an Unauthorized Invasion of Venezuela In 2019, President Trump said that American military intervention in Venezuela was “an option.” With more than fifty bipartisan co-sponsors, Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) introduced H.R. 1004 an Act “Prohibiting Unauthorized Military Action in Venezuela.” Cicilline explained the need for the Bill’s enactment:[1] ·        “The conditions for unilateral Presidential military action have not been met: Congress has not declared war on Venezuela; there is not any existing statutory authorization that would allow for a military intervention in Venezuela; and Venezuela has not attacked the United States, its territories or possessions, or its armed forces. Although the Administration is well aware that they don’t have proper authorization to engage in a military engagement in Venezuela, they have continued the drumbeat of aggressive, saber-rattling rhetoric...

  2014: Maria Machado Was Expelled from the National Assembly and Encouraged Rioters                                                    In 2010, Maria Machado was elected to the National Assembly for a five-year term (2011-2015). The Organization of American States (OAS) had a Washington, DC meeting scheduled for March 21,2014 with a discussion of Venezuela on the agenda. Machado wanted to attend the Meeting to present her views. She received an invitation from Panama to attend and speak at the Meeting as an “alternative Ambassador.” The OAS closed the session to the press and scheduled Machado’s speech to be last. She openly requested that the OAS order a foreign military intervention to oust President Maduro. [1] On March 24,2014, Diosdad...

  2005: Maria Machado Met with President Bush and Received More U.S. Funding                             In 2002, Maria Machado was a co-founder and became Executive Director of a NGO, Sumate, which received grants from the U.S. congressionally-funded National Endowment for Democracy (NED). In 2004, Machado used NED funds to run an unsuccessful “recall” referendum to remove President Hugo Chavez from Office. She was indicted for treason for using funds from a foreign government for conducting an election campaign in Venezuela.   Even though their Presidencies overlapped 2001-2005, Hugo Chavez had never been invited by Bush for a Meeting at the White House. Bush had also never met with Venezuela’s Ambassador. In 2005, Maria Machado was invited by Bush for a Meeting. On May 31, 2005, Machado had a 50-minute meeting with President Bush in the White House. Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Ali Rodriguez calle...

  2012: Maria Machado Lost the Opposition Presidential Primary with 4% of the Vote                                                       The national presidential primary election of the Democratic Unity Roundtable (MUD) was held on February 12, 2012 to select a single official opposition candidate to run in the October Presidential election against President Hugo Chavez. In 2011, Maria Machado was the second candidate to register. To run in the primary, a candidate had to pay US$122,000 to the MUD coalition. On the campaign trail, Machado took a confrontational hardline against Chavez [2]. Machado ran on a platform called “popular capitalism”- the same term used by Margaret Thatcher [1]. She said that Venezuela should be ...

  2002: Following a Military Coup, Maria Machado Signed the Dictatorial Carmona Decrees     In 1967, Maria Machado was born into one of Venezuela’s wealthiest families.[1] She is a descendant of the 3 rd Marquis of Toro, Sebastian Rodriguez, who was a Mayor of Caracas during Spanish colonial rule. As a young girl, Machado attended the Dana Hall School in Wellesley, Massachusetts. In Venezuela, Machado earned a degree in industrial engineering and a masters’ degree in finance. In 1992, Machado-a mother of three children-co-founded with her mother the Atenea Foundation, for the care of abandoned children; she also served as chair of the Opportunitas Foundation for children in households in poverty. In January 2002, Machado was a co-founder of the NGO Sumate, a volunteer group to promote elections.[1] On April 11, 2002, a group of military officers arrested the democratically-elected President Hugo Chavez and removed him from the Presidential Residence. The militar...

  2018: The European Union’s Negative Declaration on the Presidential Election in Venezuela was called “Disgraceful” by European Election Observers Venezuela’s Presidential Election was held on May 20, 2018.The Electoral Board announced that Nicolas Maduro had won the election. His victory was certified by the Supreme Court which ruled that election fraud reports lacked merit. 180 International Observers monitored the election and released statements declaring that the election was “free and fair.” Among the observers were academics and journalists from the UK, Spain, Germany and Italy. The Electoral Council had requested that The European Union (EU) send a delegation of Election Observers. The request was turned down by the EU. On May 22, 2018, Federica Mogherini, the High Representative of the EU for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, sent out an EU press release containing a Declaration on the presidential election in Venezuela:[1] ·      ...