37 years after the events of February 27, 1989, the Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, stated on his Telegram channel that “the military and police forces were unscrupulously exploited by the ruling elite to commit that act of barbarism,” when referring to the violent events where the military and security forces turned against the people.
Padrino pointed out what happened in what was known as El Caracazo forces us to reflect on the role that the Bolivarian National Armed Forces should have in the political life of the country.
«Such is the case of February 1989, when the people rose up against injustices, the neoliberal model and also the partyocracy. Furthermore, the brutal repression against that popular rebellion ordered by the oligarchic political elite that governed this country, using the Armed Forces and police, is also a stain on our history that forces us to commit to the true essence of a people’s army, where the weapons of its soldiers will never again point at our people,” he added.
He warned that February 27, 1989, is an indelible mark in the history of Venezuela and that the same oligarchy in recent years “has tried to place the Venezuelan military against the people, using the power of rifles to betray their oath and involve them in the partisan political contest and then abandoning them to oblivion, failing again and again. It is because of these lessons of history that peace, civility and the commitment to social justice are part of “the strategic culture of today’s FANB to keep our beloved Venezuela dignified, independent, united and at peace forever.”
He concluded by saying: »Today, our FANB serves the greatest interests of the country. Never again will these weapons be aimed at our people! “Long live Venezuela united!”
The number of victims is still unknown.
It is worth remembering that on February 27, 1989, after a series of economic measures imposed on the Government of Carlos Andrés Pérez by the International Monetary Fund were announced, the population came out to demonstrate.
The protests began in the city of Guarenas and spread throughout almost the entire national territory. In Caracas there were a large number of people who died, which caused various organizations to request criminal investigations from the courts against those responsible for the crimes, which included violations of human rights.
Many of the murdered people were even buried in a place known as La Peste, in the General Cemetery of the South, without their relatives having the opportunity to find the whereabouts of their bodies.
Some of the victims’ relatives continue to wait for the remains of their loved ones to be identified and delivered, who, to date, have not yet been recognized.
The real number of dead was never known, according to human rights activists.
