Stories from Quick Reads and Venezuela
Amnesty International: ‘Spiral of Violence a Threat to Rule of Law in Venezuela’
Amnesty International has released a report which documents “allegations of human rights violations and abuses committed in the context of the massive public demonstrations since early February.” “The country runs the risk of descending into a spiral of violence unless steps are taken to bring the conflicting parties around the...
Venezuelan Protesters Behead Hugo Chávez Statue
This photo of a statute of the late president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, has rapidly gone around the world since it was tweeted last week: En Táchira tumbaron el MONUMENTO del Difunto ASESINO y lo decapitaron. PSUV TEMBLAD te llego la hora. #26FMegaTranca pic.twitter.com/4eSOhs4QWG — Christopher Bello R. (@Ethical_Group) February...
Venezuelan TV Station Didn't Air Oscars for the First Time in 39 Years
Your oscar speech can help save lives in Venezuela. Speak Up! #OscarsForVenezuela #Oscars2014 #SOSVenezuela pic.twitter.com/38EAZ32mtu — ¿Sabías que? (@sabiastuque_) March 1, 2014 Given the rumors that the Academy Awards Ceremony would include artists’ messages regarding the protests in Venezuela, the event was not aired [es] by Venevisión, the biggest television...
Caribbean: How the Media Shapes Perception
Both Venezuela and Haiti have been facing anti-government protests. However, the international media’s escalation of the Venezuelan crisis and their complete silence when it comes to Haiti, raises some important questions about the United States’ inconsistency in upholding the values of human rights and democracy. Kevin Edmonds calls out the...
PHOTOS: Venezuelan Women March for Peace in Caracas
Women who support the government of Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro took to the streets on Saturday, February 22, to demand an end to the violence that has been sweeping the country as protests continue. Photographer Jesus Gil shared photos of the demonstration on Demotix: The day before the march, Andreína...
List of Deceased in Venezuela Protests Available in 5 Languages
In the blog Panfleto Negro [es], John Manuel Silva and Emiliana Duarte are keeping a list of confirmed deaths from the ongoing protests taking place in Venezuela. The list -originally in Spanish- has been translated into English, German, Italian and French.
Brief Summary of the Situation in Venezuela for the Curious or Poorly Informed
The protests are being carried out in many parts of the country and are lacking in center and direction, having being called through social media networks. Among the protesters themselves, there are many diverse opinions about the opposition political parties, so it’s possible to find many expressions of support and...
Venezuelans in Mexico to Protesters: “You Are Not Alone”
The situation in Venezuela continues to be extremely tense, with enormous marches and gatherings around the whole country that have left ten people killed and hundreds wounded. Venezuelans around the world who oppose their government have organized peaceful gatherings to make their voices heard and ensure local governments understand what...
Venezuela Protests: ‘Dear International Media: Step it Up!’
Dear International Editor: Listen and understand. The game changed in Venezuela last night. What had been a slow-motion unravelling that had stretched out over many years went kinetic all of a sudden. What we have this morning is no longer the Venezuela story you thought you understood. In the blog Caracas...
Venezuelan Opposition Leader Leopoldo López Turns Himself in Amid Mass Demonstration
Venezuelan opposition leader Leopoldo López has turned himself in to the National Guard forces, as he announced he would in the video [es] above. López, the leader of the Voluntad Popular party, had an arrest warrant that was issued against him by a court in Caracas for allegedly being responsible for...
Invisible Walls and Protests in Venezuela
The Berlin wall was not just physical. There was also an idealogical wall that prevented people from seeing reality clearly. The East Germans were told that the Wall protected the population from Fascist elements conspiring to prevent the peoples’ will from building a socialist state, so it was officially called...
Collecting Data About Possible Web Censorship in Venezuela
Marianne Díaz, lawyer, digital activist and Global Voices Advocacy author, has been making constant appeals from her Twitter account asking users to collaborate on collecting data related to access to some websites and online platforms from Internet service providers in Venezuela, due to growing reports of partial or total blockage...
Why You Should Stop Saying ‘Venezuelan Women are Beautiful’
The pressure to conform to an impossible standard of beauty was, and is, incredible. Why? Because if you do not nip, tuck, fill and blow-dry your way towards “beauty,” then you will be the exception to the rule, you will be “un-beautiful,” you will break the mantra that we all...
10 Documentaries on South American Music to Watch Online
Nick MacWilliam from the blog Sounds and Colours has compiled a list of 10 documentaries, “looking at all manner of musical styles and movements from the region, with films focused on Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Peru and Venezuela.” This list makes no attempt to rank the films, nor does it...
Venezuela's Municipal Elections: “Both Sides Lose”
Although the ruling PSUV party won the majority of mayoral races in the country's municipal elections, Boz from Bloggings by Boz says that Venezuela “remains divided and neither side has a clear majority.” According to the results announced by The National Electoral Council (CNE), the ruling party won 196 municipalities, while...
Winds of Waste: Plastic Bags Land in Venezuela's Paraguaná Peninsula
Silvia Castro's photo gallery, published by website Prodavinci, shows residents of the Paraguaná Peninsula in Venezuela with bags on their heads to call attention to the damage that trash and plastic bags are causing the peninsula. Prodavinci explains [es]: Due to its geographic location, the Paraguaná Peninsula ends up being...
Documentary Provides Intimate Look at Venezuelans Living Abroad
Desde Afuera (From Abroad) is a documentary which follows the stories [es] of five Venezuelans who recorded their daily activities living abroad using mobile and handheld cameras for over one year. Producers Johann Pérez Viera and Pedro Camacho put together this footage and Skype calls with the five participants to...
Nicolás Maduro's First Six Months as President of Venezuela
Venezuela is sitting on top of the largest oil reserves in the world and has a continual flow of dollars coming in. So they are not on the brink of a collapse. But they are progressively sliding into the swamp of serious economic dysfunction that will make sustained growth difficult...
VIDEO: Caracas’ Tower of David, the World's Tallest Slum
VocativVideo has produced a video about Venezuela's ‘Tower of David’, an unfinished 45-story building taken over by squatters in the 1990s: The tower was originally intended to be a symbol of Caracas’ bright financial future, complete with a rooftop helipad, but construction stopped because of a banking crisis and the...
#FLISOL 2013: Hundreds of Latin Americans Installing Free Software
From the Patagonia to Havana, hundreds of computer users across Latin America are choosing freedom over control by installing free software on their computers. On April 27th, groups of free software enthusiasts will be installing free software in dozens of cities across Latin America as part of FLISOL [es], the...
