We’ll head Down The Rabbit Hole to wrap up this week’s segment shortly but first, part two of our Caracas Chronicles piece… The two SEBIN officials were sentenced to 5 years, 10 months in prison, later reduced to 2 years, 8 months, then released for “time served”.

 In Captain Acosta’s case both DGCIM lieutenants were sentenced to 30 years but the investigation stopped there. DGCIM reports to the Ministry of Defense so Captain Acosta’s torture was ordered by somebody.

 All three cases present similar patterns, a lack of accountability over numerous irregularities, disputed narratives, a focus on less serious crimes, and the targeting of low-level security agents (We call ’em “scapegoats”). 

 The Attorney General’s approach to these cases (and many more) are also the approach to the ICC investigation into Human Rights violations and possible crimes against humanity. They delay, confuse, obfuscate, and frivolously litigate… anything that drags out the process.

 Attorney General Saab said in an address to Maduro’s National Assembly “Frankly, there is no need for the ICC to investigate.” He cited the government’s figures (unverifiable since Saab’s office has never produced an annual report) of 1,463 individuals charged with Human Rights violations since 2017. He didn’t mention that Maduro’s security forces have averaged over 1,400 extrajudicial killings per year since he took power in 2013.

 ICC Chief Prosecutor, Karim Khan, has stated that Venezuela’s Public Ministry’s efforts regarding self-investigation were “either insufficient in scope” or “lacking any concrete impact”. Of the 893 cases of Human Rights  violations reported by Khan to The Hague over 78% were in early stages of investigation by the Venezuelan government or dismissed and the state failed to identify a perpetrator in over 85% of the cases. In addition, no inquiries were made within the chain of command.

 According to Human Rights lawyer, Calixto Avila, “The victims must keep sending information and denouncing before international and domestic bodies  but we shouldn’t create false expectations about the ICC process… prepare for a marathon.”

 As with all other court-related matters, since the facts are against them, the Chavistas will delay as long as possible.

 Now, let’s go Down The Rabbit Hole…

 Chapter 17 continued”’

…To meet the government’s housing mission projection for the poor for the year to come they have to build approximately 1,554 units a day or about one per minute.

 I recently discovered a new term while reading an Op Ed by a Venezuelan expat. He was talking about a trend he’s become aware of  having heard the same story repeated numerous times by other Venezuelan expats around the world. He calls it “political appropriation”. It’s the tendency by people who identify as Democratic Socialists to dismiss a Venezuelan’s real-life experience with socialism. The idea is that Venezuelans don’t accurately portray the situation in Venezuela and don’t really understand the reasoning and motives behind socialist policies. Many Venezuelan expats are even dismissed because of the light color of their skin (if their skin is lighter they must be privileged). I feel the Venezuelan’s frustration. I guess it’s easier to be ideologically pure when you aren’t confronted with the consequences, up close and personal.

 Just so you know, Pope Francis, the first admittedly socialist Pope, continues to refuse to renounce the regimes of Maduro in Venezuela and Ortega in Nicaragua.

 Illegal trafficking of narcotics, gasoline, food, and minerals produce an estimated $9 billion a year for the Maduro regime. Remember that number the next time you hear that there’s no money to buy much-needed food and medicine for the Venezuelan people.

 Peru and Venezuela both have (or had before the migration) populations in the 30 million range and both are South American countries. Peru doesn’t have a whole lot in terms of natural resources while Venezuela is incredibly blessed with natural resources including the world’s largest proven oil reserves. It is almost incomprehensible that there is a huge influx of Venezuelans into Peru. In Venezuela they are starving and dying. In Peru they are, more or less, thriving and just living their lives. The only difference is that Venezuela has Chavismo and 21st Century Bolivarian Socialism…”The Revolution”. Oh, FYI, Venezuela was the only South American country with a contracting economy in 2018 (8 consecutive years of economic contraction under Nicolas Maduro). Argentina and Colombia are a bit bigger, population-wise, while Chile and Ecuador are a bit smaller. Pretty much, everyone’s doing OK except Venezuela.

 When Maduro was denied new loans from China and Russia, in his desperation for money, he gave away several billion dollars in debt owed to Venezuela in return for immediate cash. When he heard that Jamaica and The Dominican Republic had money from bond auctions he offered them one dollar of debt forgiveness for every dollar paid to Venezuela (Pay one dollar and we’ll match it and reduce your debt by two dollars) if they paid it immediately. Chavismo isn’t content with destroying Venezuela today, they’ll wipe out tomorrow  as well.

 Summary : This will be quick. It’s pretty easy to see that 21st Century Bolivarian Socialism spares no one and nothing. It destroys everything it touches.

 That will do it for this week. We’ll be back Monday with our next Venezuela : Down The Rabbit Hole segment “Bullets” and time permitting Chapter 18/ “It’s A Wrap” and of course more current news. Until then have a great weekend everybody!!!