National and International Outrage Against the Sentencing of Leopoldo Lopez

On Saturday Venezuelans, Colombians,. andDemocratic people across the globe united against last week’s conviction of political leader Leopoldo Lopez for 14 years in prison by the Maduro regime. 

The regime’s sentencing is a clear sign of it’s fear for the political outcome due to the hyperinflation, corruption, delinquency, and the extreme lack of products that the country is experiencing today. The sentencing has

re-enforced Lopez’s position as a united leader of the opposition.

 In New York City, Colombian and Venezuelans were united in an echo of the same sentiment of anger and repudiation against the Lopez conviction, and against the brutal human rights violations to poor Colombians living at the Venezuelan-Colombian borders.

Over 600 people were victims of deportations, and their homes, and properties were destroyed. In many instances, the Venezuelan Militia raped women, and girls. With the upcoming December 6 Parliamentary elections, this border incident was provoked by the Venezuelan regime to distract the Venezuelan people and to cause discord with the neighboring country. In addition, the United Nations reports that thousands of  Colombian have left Venezuela in outrage against this savage regime.

Venezuela, a country that was once considered a Democratic model of for Latin America now has the second highest homicide rate in the world.  The United States warns US citizens there about the out-of-control crime.  According to the report, heavily armed criminals have used grenades and assault rifles to commit crimes at banks, shopping malls, public transportation stations, and Universities.  The situation in Venezuela today is not sustainable and the Maduto regime is fully aware that its time is up.

Maduro does it again!

To distract the Venezuelan people from the depressed economy where they are living, and from the illegal activities of the drug cartels within their borders, Nicolas Maduro used an oppressive and rather Nazi like tactic against the poor Colombians who live in the Venezuelan border towns.  

The tactics that the army used were very similar to Hitler’s 1938 Nazi Germany after they declared  “Cristal Night”,  a night where Jewish houses were marked and destroyed  and people were beaten and many killed by the Nazis.  Similarly, The Venezuelan Guards marked these poor houses with an R for revised or D for destruction and proceeded, with out conscience, to physically force  over a 1,000 men, women, and children back to Colombia after destroying their houses. The sad part is that these people came many years ago to Venezuela, seeking a better life for themselves and their families. 

Maduro who has shown to be a master of creating distraction, because he is incapable to solving his country’s basic economic problems has opted for extreme measures, ordering this disgraceful move, accusing these poor people to be paramilitaries under the direction of former Colombian president Alberto Uribe.  It took a long time for the complacent Colombian President Manuel Santos to come out and react against Nicolas Maduro’s abuse of Colombian citizens. Yet, when President Obama declared Venezuela a Threat to the United States, it didn’t take long for Santos to react, requesting the immediate repeal of the US sanctions against Venezuela. In the recent two-day Summit of the Americas, Santos argued that that the Summit was a great opportunity for the U.S. and Venezuela to clear the air and build a “constructive dialogue to make decisions on the growing deterioration of Venezuela’s political, social and economic situation.”

I wonder how constructive the dialogue between Santos and Maduro will be now that Maduro has shut down the borders and deported the many Colombian living in those vicinities

Meanwhile, the office of Tarek William Saab, head of the Organization for People’s Defense, released a statement denying that children were involved in the deportation, another lie from a Government that only lies and deceives the Venezuelan people.  The truth of the matter is that these people were horribly humiliated and the human rights of these people were violated. We hope that some Latin American leaders who had been silent  about the Venezuelan dictator have the decency to complain about this massive abuse against these poor people of Colombia.