Venezuelan trade unionists speak to us -2-

News from our comrades in the National Committee for the Defence of Workers' Rights

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Hello comrade, the struggle continues.

To date, 123 political prisoners have been released out of the 1,100 detainees, including four trade union leaders and 19 media workers. Two trade union leaders arrested at the end of November, José Elias Torres and Wiliam Lizardo, are still missing.

The freedoms granted to date are conditional releases, which means that the trials are continuing, with all the defendants being prosecuted for terrorism and incitement to hatred.

Furthermore, a ‘state of emergency’ decree that suspended all freedoms is still in force. It aims to reinforce state terrorism and prevent workers from protesting against wages, democracy and freedom.

The government is strengthening its commitment to Yankee imperialism and concluding secret agreements to hand over our wealth, as we mentioned in our recent interview (see here); see, for example, the meeting at the presidency with the director of the CIA.

There is a general atmosphere of tension and uncertainty about the direction the country is taking.

To be continued