Ministry of People’s Power for Foreign Affairs

Weekly Newsletter / May 14th 2021

UNCOVERING FAKE NEWS• Operation “Mute” against the people

IN THIS EDITIONDIPLOMACY• Study reveals fraud on Twitter• Research for action• Stop the violence against Palestine• Industrial modernization• Brotherhood with the Brazilian people

VENEZUELA IN IMAGES• A master of light

HUMANITY ON THE MOVE• Reject of repression against Colombian brothers

UNBLOCK• The blockade to health (and III)

CAPSULE OF IDEAS• “... material and ethical ideals ...”

BEATS OF OUR PEOPLE• Youth at the fore

HEROIC ROOTS• Rebel Afro-Venezuelan against Colonialism

Dialogue and elections strengthen Venezuelan DemocracyAs a result of the intense process of national dia-logue and in a new demonstration of its democrat-ic vocation, the Venezuelan people will elect this year the governors, mayors and members of the state and municipal legislative bodies, in a single event which will take place on November 21. Due to the number of positions to vote for on a single date, it is considered a mega-election.The board of the National Electoral Council (CNE in Spanish) announced this week that it is declaring itself in permanent session to respond to the chal-lenges of these regional and local elections. In ad-dition, it approved an audit of the automated vot-ing system and the Electoral Registry, which will be opened for new registrants and data updates.The president of the CNE, Pedro Calzadilla, also reported that the list of political parties will be renewed and a broad international oversight pro-gram will be guaranteed. Additionally, and depend-ing on other instances of the State with power in the matter, the review of political disqualifications will be promoted.

TOPIC OF THE WEEK

Of interest

• The Bolivarian Revolution has alwaysprivileged dialogue and the electoral routeto consolidate peace in the face of theviolent plans of the extremist right.

• In 2014, the so-called “Guarimbas”,violent seditious actions, were defeatedwith the installation of a dialogue tablewith all sectors of the country.

• In 2017, when the extreme rightreactivated insurrectional violence, it wasneutralized with the call for the electionof the National Constituent Assembly.

The CNE rectors unanimously approved the sched-ule for the mega-election, in which 23 governors and regional legislative councils will be elected, as well as 335 mayors and municipal councils.The President of the Republic, Nicolás Maduro, sup-ported the announcement of the 26th election in 20 years and highlighted the importance of dia-logue between those who are related to the Boli-varian Government and the democratic opposition.The head of state reported that even groups that have moved away from the electoral and constitu-tional path are now seeking approaches to partici-pate in the conversations and in the electoral event. “In the end, dialogue was imposed, those who did not want dialogue now call Maduro for dialogue, they call the world for dialogue, in the end we were right,” he emphasized.

Fact: Opposition figures have also celebrated the recent renewal of the Electoral Power, the starting point for

this year’s elections. Among those who have spoken are: former presidential candidates Javier Bertucci, deputy for the Democratic Alliance; Henrique Capriles Radonski, from the political party Prime-ro Justicia, and Henri Falcón, leader of Avanzada Progresista; as well as Bernabé Gutiérrez, deputy and secretary general of Acción Democrática.

Photo: Courtesy

Year 1 / Number 8

May 14th 2021 / Page 2

NEWS BRIEF

At a meeting called by the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America – People’s Trade Treaty (Alba-TCP) with Think Tanks from the Global South, Venezuela’s Foreign Minis-ter, Jorge Arreaza, proposed the creation of a critic research network to generate input for decision making by governments and popular organizations, in order to advance towards a post-capitalist world. “It is not enough to think and reflect, we have to act,” he stated.

Photo: MPPre

Investigationfor action

Brazilian Ex-President Luis Inacio Lula Da Silva met with Venezuela’s Head of Mission in Brasilia, and reiterated his solidarity to the Venezuelan people. To that effect, Minister Jorge Arreaza thanked the Latin American leader and reiterat-ed the solidarity with the Brazilian people.

Brotherhood with the Brazilian people

Study reveals social media fraud to prosecute Venezuela

DIPLOMACY

Armando Reverón was born in Caracas 132 years ago. He settled his creative universe in the Castillete, in Macuto, on the Venezuelan coast. He explored currents such as expressionism, he was inspired by landscapes, feminine forms and playing with light.

A Master of light revolutionized ArtReverón is one of the most important painters of the 20th century. Every 10th of May, the date when he was born, Venezuela celebrates the Day of the Visual Artist.

Photo: Courtesy

VENEZUELA IN IMAGES

Venezuela condemned new aggressions from Israel against the people of Palestine, as well as the forceful displacement of inhabitants of the Sheikh Jarrah community and the bombings against civil population, a grave violation to Human Rights. In a statement, Venezuela also ratified its historic position in defense of the sovereignty of Palestine.

No more violence against Palestine

Representatives from the Venezuelan government and the United Nations Industrial Development Organization (UNIDO), launched the Industrial Modernization Programme for Venezuela, planned in the 2018-2024 Nation’s Plan, which prioritizes agro industrial chains for corn, sugar, soy and legumes.

Industrial modernization

Techniques to make content viral, supported by ro-botized accounts, were used to build a false param-eter to bring Venezuela before the International Criminal Court (ICC), reveals a Big Data study made by independent experts on more than 70 million Twitter posts.From that universe 15,345,683 tweets were ana-lyzed, with more than 1,400,000 avatars and more than 31 million interactions. A very small nucleus of profiles created through bots was detected to amplify false opinions and influence the ICC; and at the same time, to promote the “lynching” of Venezuelan government representatives.The study is included in the report sent by the Office of the General Prosecutor to the ICC on May 6th, to expand the information in the case called “Venezuela I”. The specialized technical evaluation provides new elements to demon-

strate the fraudulent use of digital networks, in this case, Twitter, to “build the appearance of al-leged crimes against humanity,” the Venezuelan Public Ministry said in a statement.Thus, it is observed “how they amplify, how they create opinions, how they artificially create trends, with what purpose? With the purpose of influenc-ing those who have to take a decision in the Inter-national Criminal Court (on) an artificially created case, which has no basis in reality,” explained Executive Vice President, Delcy Rodríguez.The Vice President urged the international commu-nity to take this case as an example because any nation can be a victim of this strategy, which seeks to supplant the ICC by the trial in social networks. Therefore, she called on the Court to adhere to the principle of the primacy of reality.

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Year 1 / Number 8

May 14th 2021 / Page 3

Reject of repression and massacre against Colombian brothers

CAPSULES OF IDEAS“The present task of artists and intellectuals is transcendent andof great responsibility. They are the ones called to express in their

works our reality, as well as the material and ethical ideals for whichto fight. They are the ones who, together with the worker, the employee,

the scientist, must structure the homeland of the future, somewill shape matter, others the spirits.”

César Rengifo, The national in art (1949)

Migrants established in Venezuela expressed their support for the Colombian people who are pro-testing against violence and a series of reforms to the detriment of the most disadvantaged sectors, while denouncing the brutal repression promoted by the government of Iván Duque, which has left at least 47 dead and more than 500 missing as of May 9th.The Migrant Network of the “We are Venezuela Move-ment,” the Association of Colombians in Venezuela and the Bolivarian Movement of Colombians for Peace warned that the neighboring country is ex-periencing a serious social situation, deepened by “the continuous massacres against the defenseless Colombian people.” So far in 2021 alone, more than 30 massacres have been reported.They denounce in a statement the criminal and

HUMANITY ON THE MOVE

The blockade to health (III)As a consequence of the Unilateral Coercive Mea-sures (UCM) against Venezuela, the right to health is one of the most affected, with the greatest im-pact on vulnerable groups, including patients with chronic diseases.Among the numerous aspects affected is the block-ade of 7,407,250 euros that prevented the acquisi-tion of 2,469,083 dosage units destined to care for more than 823,000 patients with diseases such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular and kidney problems, whose treatment involves pro-longed use of medicines.As a result of the UCM, a transfer of 51,529 euros that would be used to provide immunoglobulin to 257 children and adults was also blocked. Similar actions also prevented the purchase of anti-tuber-culosis and antiretroviral drugs.Between 2017 and 2018, the lack of treatment and HIV screening tests led to an increase in the mortal-ity rate from this disease, as the UN Special Rappor-teur, Alena Douhan, outlined in her report on the negative impact of the UCM on the enjoyment of Human Rights.For the timely care of chronic patients, Venezuela maintains alliances with sister countries. Through the company Espromed Bio, for example, an agree-ment was signed in 2019 with the Russian compa-ny GeroPharm to produce five types of insulin and meet demand.4,200,000 vials of insulin have also arrived from Russia. The goal is to receive 5,410,000 doses in total.

Photo: ArChive / Courtesy

UNBLOCK

genocidal nature of Duque’s government, closely linked with former president Álvaro Uribe, ques-tioned for his relations with paramilitarism and drug trafficking.Faced with this drama, the migrants request the dismissal of the commander of the Colom-bian Army, Eduardo Zapateiro, the intervention of Human Rights bodies of the United Nations and the return of those who disappeared in the protests.The peaceful demonstration, they emphasize, “is a right especially protected by international stan-dards for the protection of human rights, because it represents a form of popular expression within all the forms of possibilities of conduct offered by a free and democratic society.”

Photo: ArChive / Courtesy

Year 1 / Number 8

May 14th 2021 / Page 4

A key influence in the Venezuelan indepen-dence feat is the uprising of José Leonardo Chirino, one of the most notable movements against the colonial yoke.Chirino was a sambo who served from time to time on a farm in Sierra de Coro, in the central west of the country. There he began to have contact with libertarian ideals, such as the French Revolution and the uprising of Tous-saint Louverture in Haiti.Then he began to devise the rebellion with slaves, sambos and indigenous people. The plan was to take Coro, then Puerto Cabello and Maracaibo. Thus, on May 10, 1795, the insur-rection broke out. The goal was the freedom of slaves, the end of indigenous servitude, elimi-nation of taxes and equality for all.Although that army of rebels made up of the most deprived groups was defeated, their courage paved the way for indepen-dence and the fight for popular causes. As Commander Hugo Chávez put it: “That’s where we come from, that heroic blood runs through our veins and we are forced to rise to the level of history, our history, our seed,” referring to the Coro insurrection.In honour of the deed of José Leonardo Chirino, since 2005, every May 10 the Af-ro-Venezuelan Day is celebrated in the coun-try, to pay tribute to the Afro-descendant people, defender of the homeland and iden-tity, of our history, traditions and unwaver-ing values of equality and freedom.

iMAge: Courtesy

Afro-Venezuelan Rebel againstColonialism

In the midst of the blockade imposed by the US and the European Union, Venezuelan youth participate in the construction of a new productive model through a social program dedicated to youth employment (“chamba” in Venezuelan), which has already incor-porated more than 1,800,000 young people, be-tween the ages of 15 to 35, in areas such as mining, agriculture, basic services, among others.Keimer Marchán is one of the brigade members of the Great Youth Chamba Mission, activated in 2017. He spent three and a half years in training within CVG Bauxilum, one of the basic companies in Guay-ana, in the south of the country.Young people “are representing the working class and are a crucial part of all the basic com-panies of CVG,” Keimer said during the relaunch of the great mission, an event led by President

Youth at the forefront of productive development

The repression of the right wing against the Latin American people always has media ma-nipulation as an accomplice. This is the case in Colombia, where there are protests against the profound inequality fuelled by neoliberalism.As a result of the brutal repression by the gov-ernment of Iván Duque, as from end of April to May 8th, up to 47 people have been assas-sinated. To deflect attention, the President of Ecuador, Lenín Moreno, and the former Co-lombian President Andrés Pastrana seek to point out the Government of Venezuela as an “inciter” of these protests, a matrix disclosed by the media corporations. Besides the false matrix, in the face of state violence in Colombia, the big media hides or minimizes the facts. This practice is not new. On the contrary, it characterizes the

treatment of news such as that on the 52 social leaders killed and more than 30 mas-sacres recorded on Colombian territory so far in 2021.This media approach contrasts with the at-tention devoted by those same companies towards insurrectional violence, the so-called “guarimbas”, which occurred in Venezuela in 2014 and 2017. Then, these media concen-trated their efforts on echoing that the gov-ernment repressed alleged “protesters” and in diverting the gaze from acts of sedition and terrorist violence, including, for example, at-tacks that affected a nursery where there were children under the age of 6 years, the murder of law enforcement officers and citizens iden-tified as government sympathizers, some of whom were even burned alive.

Operation “Mute” against the peopleUNCOVERING FAKE NEWS

Nicolás Maduro, on May 5.The brigade members also provide logistical sup-port at the Poliedro de Caracas intermediate hos-pital, where mild and moderate cases of Covid-19 are treated. Dugleimy García, from the Che Guevara Brigade, explained that the youth perform patient care work there.At this stage, the “new goal is to connect 2,500,000 young people with the Great Youth Chamba Mis-sion,” announced the President. For this, seven ver-tices have been proposed: opening of the registry and updating of data, formation of recruitment brigades, training programs, job placement, pro-motion of enterprises, housing plan and the Na-tional Debate of the Organic Law of the Great Youth Chamba Mission.

Photo: ArChive / Courtesy

BEATS OF OUR PEOPLE

HEROIC ROOTS