For journalist and university researcher Andrés Cañizales, if the Venezuelan government does not comply with the request for respect for human rights, it will continue to be at risk of not being recognized internationally.
The governments of Brazil, Mexico and Colombia, through a joint statement, insisted that the National Electoral Council (CNE) present the results of the presidential elections of July 28, 2024 “broken down by voting table,” dismissing the actions of the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) in this controversy.
Andrés Cañizales, journalist and university researcher, pointed out three important keys to this process in the CocuyoClaroAndRaspao This Thursday, July 8, during an interview conducted by Luz Mely Reyes and Xabier Coscojuela, director of Efecto Cocuyo and editorial member of SuchCualrespectively.
The first key is that “this initiative is being led by Latin American countries that can be identified as allies of President Nicolás Maduro”; the second thing to take into account is the “impartial verification of the results, that is, with the incorporation of an independent third party”, and finally, these countries ask that “respect for human rights must remain in the current context”.
The journalist reaffirmed the position of the statement by pointing out that “the one who has to lead the results is the CNE. Taking the issue to the TSJ is a way of slowing down the process, without guaranteeing that there will be a speedy response or impartiality in the decisions.”
After an investigation, Cañizales defined the current government as authoritarian, which used elections as a shield to be democratic. However, “the perception outside Venezuela of Nicolás Maduro’s government is that there is no interest in negotiating a transition.”
On censorship
The author of the book “20 Years of Censorship” also stated that this is a “quite unprecedented stage, where not only did a policy of censorship continue, but those who fight disinformation began to be censored,” citing some examples of blockages of media outlets, among which the following stand out: SuchWhich, Firefly Effect, Runrun.es and El Estímulo.
In response to the national government’s request to eliminate WhatsApp, he said that “censoring social networks is very complicated, since a large part of interpersonal communication is done through this network.” Rather, he called it a “bullying response” to the mobilization. “Despite the repression, people remained connected and remained active to gather,” he said about the marches called by the opposition.
Although he did not rule out the possible blocking of social network “X”, formerly Twitter. “It would be like blocking a website, where a VPN could be used to access it.”
Breaking down power structures
“An electoral process like the one that occurred in Venezuela, where there is open fraud, can lead to a breakdown in the power structure. And it is related to the structure of the armed forces, where they themselves must evaluate the costs of continuing to repress and the benefits that may occur with the next government,” said the communicator, answering one of the questions from the audience.
In light of the situation ahead, he said that “the most important thing is to guarantee human rights. If the government of Nicolás Maduro ignores this issue, I believe that it will continue to accumulate miles for any illegitimate status it may have at an international level.”
Click on this link to see the full interview.
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