People live in feat in Venezuela under the Maduro Regime

The President of the Venezuela Chamber of Commerce, Jorge Roig fears for his life due to the constant threats he receives from the Maduro regime.  Like many Venezuelans, he is afraid to be imprisoned for expressing his disagreement with Maduro.According to Roig, a business closes every day because the government controls the businesses' purchasing and manufacturing funds.  Maduro consistently states that the Venezuelan private sector is waging an economic war against the government. In Roig’s view, the only thing happening in Venezuela is corruption and scandals that involve high-level government officials, such as the recent case with the Andorra Bank.

In addition to its hyper corruption and impunity, the government violates Venezuelans rights to protest and speak freely. The incarceration of the Caracas Mayor, Antonio Ledezma, and the constant threats and harassment former Assembly Woman Maria Corina Machado receives from this regime are the most recent cases of Maduro’s arbitrary and undemocratic actions. In addition, after a year, political leader Leopoldo Lopez and Mayor Ceballos are still in prison and victims of this dictatorial government Finally, our Venezuelan heroes, our students, are paying a very high price, living in subhuman conditions in jails, for protesting.

The Venezuelan people feel the same fear and frustration that Mr. Roig expresses. Venezuela's judicial system is controlled by a regime that lacks respect for the Democratic process, the Law, and the Citizens of Venezuela. These feelings have created chaos and economic instability in the country and the Venezuelan people are drowning in despair.

The Tragedy of DIctators and Revolutions in Latin America

Reynaldo Bignone is  convicted in Argentina again, but this time for 26 years in prison for “stealing children” and murdering their young parents that opposed the regime. Reynaldo Bignone was part of the military junta under the dictator Jorge Videla, sentenced to prison for 50 years in an early trial. Videla is accused as the master minded of the “dirty war” that killed 30,000 people from 1970 to 1982 and, devastated families, separated children, and terrorized an entire generation.

Around the same time, Chile suffered a similar tragedy under the dictatorship of General August Pinochet which lasted 18 years. Some 3,000 people killed, and about 30,000 in prison or tortured under the dictator.

Populists and revolutions have also claimed the life of thousands in countries like Cuba and Venezuela.  During the Cuban revolution, Fidel Castro fought the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista and took control of Cuba. Fidel then killed and tortured thousands who opposed him, and forced 1.5 million people to flee the country, establishing his dictatorship for over  half a century.

Venezuela is another tragic example. In 2014, 26,000 people were killed in violent crimes under the indifferent eyes of the Maduro regime.  According to an NBC report; a person is murdered in Venezuela every 21 minutes.  

Like Hugo Chavez did, Nicolas Maduro blames others for the devastated economy and the insecurity problem that the country faces today. Yet, Maduro offers no solution to these problems. My only guess is that Maduro feels it is easy to control people who are distracted by fearing for their lives.