We’ll get started on the next installment of Venezuela : Down The Rabbit Hole tomorrow but first we have some catching up to do. Last week we had Michele Bachelet, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights give her opening statement leading up to the big meeting of the UN General Assembly this week. She laid out a few teasers including that countries needed to ease their sanctions around the world as they were negatively affecting general populations (Duh).We won’t get into it now but. just as in Venezuela, these sanctioned regimes still have sufficient funds to help their people should they choose to, but they don’t. That’s why they’re sanctioned in the first place. Her open was well received by regimes like the Chavistas. As the saying goes… “but not so fast.”

 UN Missions like the FFM (Fact Finding Mission) of the OHCHR (Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights) are certainly slow but sometimes their reports are worth the wait (unless you’re a starving/dying Venezuelan). As we covered in last week’s Down The Rabbit Hole segment  the OHCHR issued a statement two years ago. It was slow but when finally released it blasted the Maduro regime’s Human Rights violations especially it’s three secret police forces. The Chavistas were heaping praise on the OHCHR prior to the report, maybe thinking that Bachelet, a socialist leaning official would give their socialist regime a pass, but they couldn’t have been more wrong. The report brought to light many Human Rights abuses like over 7,000 extrajudicial killings in the 18 months leading up to the report. After it’s release the Maduro regime blasted the report but in damage control mode said it wanted to cooperate with the UN, FFM and welcomed them to remain in Venezuela ( two years later they still haven’t officially opened an office so they are slow but…) Well, as Yogi said “It’s like deja vu all over again.”

 After teasing it’s release Bachelet’s office released it’s report later in the week and it wasn’t kind to the Maduro regime.” Venezuela’s Justice System Plays Significant Role In State’s Repression Of Government Opponents” one headline read. ” The independence of the judiciary has become deeply eroded. Public officials… some at high levels, commit violations and crimes with impunity.”

 This is no surprise to us here at Tales From Teodoro. We did an entire segment on “The Supremes”, Venezuela’s Supreme Court and without rehashing the whole segment I’d like to remind you that the head of the TSJ (Supreme Court) is a convicted murderer. Other headlines described the court’s complicity in Human Rights violations in Venezuela. “…issuing warrants retrospectively.” …”…admitted evidence tainted by torture and failed to protect victims of torture.” …”Victims of torture were returned to detention in places where the torture occurred.”

 There were 16 cases of preliminary hearings delayed  two years while the subjects remained in detention and sometimes up to four years.Judges routinely received orders on how to decide judgements from senior government officials.

 The OHCHR report was covered by every major international news service and even included items in the report such as Venezuela judges using “sippenhaft”, the Nazi practice of jailing family members. We’ve covered this before when police couldn’t find their subject in a raid so they arrested whoever was there.

 So, how would the regime respond to this report from a group they had been lauding previously? Well, it really was deja vu. “Imposed Prosecutor General, Tareck William Saab,” had this to say, “…an alleged report by an ad hoc commission paid for by the Lima Group, attacking the Venezuela justice system and prosecutors….every time the country moves towards dialogue…evil people try to harm the prosecutors.” So much for that rosy spirit of cooperation.

 Telesur (government media) had no coverage of the OHCHR report but it did have the head of the Mexico negotiations team, Jorge Rodriguez, saying that the opposition and it’s sponsors, Colombia and the US, are trying to sabotage dialogue.

 And in a “dancing as fast as they can” moment we have Maduro’s National Assembly passing a “partial” reform of the Law Of Criminal Procedure. Pedro Carreno assures us that these reforms will end the problems in the system. Uhhh…OK.. Exactly how does that work when the head of the TSJ (Supreme Court), you know,the convicted murderer, declares as constitutional every blatantly unconstitutional move made by the regime? And in case you were wondering, Maduro,has yet to comment.

 So where are we? Well, we have the OHCHR telling us two years ago that the regime of Nicolas Maduro systematically committed Human Rights abuses and calling for reforms,among them disbanding one of his secret police units, FAES. Now, two years later we have the OHCHR backing that up with another report that the judiciary in Venezuela is complicit in these systematic abuses and is again calling for reforms. At the same time we have the ICC (International Criminal Court) concluding it’s pre-investigative work but a report has yet to be issued. Perhaps with a new Chief Prosecutor they will move forward and open an official investigation now that Bensouda is no longer there to cover for Maduro and the Chavistas. I know it’s slow but ….come on! I know that the regime has it’s protectors at the UN like China and Russia,and don’t forget the Iranians, so I don’t expect anything from them anytime soon but with Bensouda gone from the ICC the regime has no such protection any longer. Based on these two reports the ICC needs to open an official investigation NOW! Every day they delay more Venezuelans are starving,dying,and or being killed!

 There’s a lot more news from the insane world of “21st Century Bolivarian Socialism” but this is important enough it should stand alone. More tomorrow….