CARACAS CRISIS

Yesterday a protest was held in the capital of Caracas in recognition of those who had died. About 20 people have been killed in both the protests and looting as government forces clashed with protesters.

Feliciano Reyna from the group Civilis told Sunday Newsday via telephone they have a humanitarian programme to support people in need of medicine, food and other supplies. He said they are located near a shopping mall in Caracas where a lot of conflict has taken place between national police and protesters.

Yesterday people in nearby houses were banging pots in protest and telling the police to leave, and to leave the young people alone.

The police responded with tear gas bombs which Reyna described as a “disproportionate use of force”.

He said it was one thing to prevent protesters from causing damage or keeping them at bay, and another thing to go after them not doing much more than protesting or just banging pots. Reyna also reported that some of the canisters landed in the front of their building and they had the expiry dates of June 2013 and October 2015, and stressed it was dangerous to use these canisters after they had expired. He said the unrest has been negatively affecting their humanitarian work and some people are not able to access their building. Yesterday the national guard and national police blocked off main roads including the main highway in Caracas which passes behind their office.

Reyna said the humanitarian crisis is “huge” and much larger than what has been reported from outside Venezuela with thousands of people affected.

“There are people who are going hungry.” He said of his staff, one is a transgender woman who they learned was eating one meal a day and they started sharing meals with her. Another is a young man who would only eat a large bowl of white rice, possibly with some potatoes.

“Something we see every single day.” He said there were more products on the shelves these days but they are so expensive many people cannot buy them and the situation was the same for medicine. For example, the medicine for hypertension was the cost of a month’s basic salary.

He said yesterday a woman visited their offices asking for medication for a baby who had received burns in an accident. Reyna pointed out that it is a basic medicine but it was not available in the largest public hospitals in Caracas.

People are also calling for anti- depressants, medicine for diabetes, hypertension, multiple-sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, bipolar disorder and anti-anxiety medication.

“We are really concerned. Government has made efforts not to talk about it as a humanitarian situation.” He said his organisation has been calling on the government to accept international humanitarian cooperation. He added, however, that this may be difficult to accept as it would only be able to come through formal mechanisms that would require transparency and participation from different sectors, including the very deteriorated public health services.

He said instead of the government admitting the crisis, they have set up a discriminatory mechanism of Local Committees for Supply and Production (CLAP) where people have to register to get food and medicine which completely violates citizens’ rights to universal access to food and healthcare.

Reyna expressed hope for political dialogue to take place, for international support and for Venezuela to return to a democratic path.

“We see the suffering and the needs daily and this should be at the forefront of anything that would look the situation in Venezuela.” On March 29, the Venezuelan Supreme Court dissolved parliament and transferred all legislative powers to itself. Though the court later reversed its decision, partially according to one human rights source, protests had started.

A representative from another agency, who asked not to be named, said the humanitarian crisis persists and many people with conditions like cancer and haemophilia are dying because of lack of access to treatment. She said that the government still denies there is any humanitarian crisis.

On the protests, she said people are demonstrating because they want the government to bring back rule of law and a democratic situation.

She reported that the police, military and armed civilians are allowed to control public order and it is the latter that is creating problems.

“It is armed civilians who are killing demonstrators. Using lethal weapons like guns which are not allowed by the constitution.” She also said excessive use of force, noxious gases or lethal weapons are not allowed to be used against demonstrators but was being allowed by the government.

She reported that seven people have been killed in demonstrations and 11 in looting; another report cites 22 dead altogether. She said the demonstration yesterday was not as repressed as previous days.

A protest is planned for tomorrow and the opposition forces are calling for the roads to be closed until political prisoners are released and elections called.

The local business community has previously sold goods and basic necessities to Venezuela in an agreement facilitated by government, which has also signed a gas deal with the Maduro administration.

Sunday Newsday was unable to contact the TT Ambassador to Venezuela Dr Paul Byam or Foreign Affairs Minister Dennis Moses via phone for comment on the developments in the South American country.