Tag: Venezuela

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Who is Carvajal aka "El Pollo" and why does Minister Timmermans order his release?

Not many people had unfettered direct access to Hugo Chavez. Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios aka "El Pollo" (the chicken) did have this. As head of the military intelligence service, he had unlimited resources at his disposal to accomplish his goals. In recent years, several pieces of evidence have surfaced showing that Carvajal had ties to the FARC and Colombian and Venezuelan cartels in addition to using military personnel to transport drugs. Last week, at America's request, Carvajal was arrested in Aruba. Meanwhile, Timmermans yesterday -against a ruling by Chief Judge Yvonne van Wersch- ordered his release and Carvajal has since returned to Venezuela where he has been received as a hero.

Hugo Armando Carvajal Barrios was head of the military intelligence service and a confidant of Hugo Chavez between 2004 and 2009. Carvajal was involved with Chavez from day one. In 2008, among others, Carvajal and several others were accused by America of supporting the FARC with the transportation of Drugs, this was denied by Chavez at the time. The disclosure from the Americans came a day after America's ambassador was forced to leave Venezuela because of the U.S. Embassy's alleged involvement in supporting the opposition to Hugo Chavez. Among other things, Carvajal is suspected of having given false identity cards to members of the FARC and Cartels, preventing drug seizures, supporting the transportation of drugs. In addition, he is alleged to have ordered the murder of two people.

Last week, at the request of the Americans, Carvajal was arrested in Aruba with the request for extradition. Carvajal was on his way to Aruba to be installed as Consul General. He was traveling with a diplomatic passport but did not yet officially hold the position of Consul General. Immediately after his arrest, Maduro and the government of Venezuela reacted vehemently to his arrest. Holland was said to be breaking the law. Venezuela immediately took sanctions by banning all air traffic from the islands to Venezuela and vice versa. This sanction was reversed the same day. In addition, the government of Venezuela stepped up the pressure by threatening more sanctions and sent the navy to Aruba.

On July 25, Magistrate Judge Yvonne van Wersch ruled that Carvajal did not enjoy diplomatic immunity, saying "she would not be pressured by anyone and stood by her decision." Carvajal remained detained.

Yesterday, Carvajal was released from the KIA prison where he had been held for the previous four days. During a press conference last Sunday, Aruban Minister of Justice Artur Dowers and Chief Public Prosecutor Peter Blanken announced that Dutch Foreign Minister Timmermans had ordered Carvajal's release. In addition to the release of Carvajal -because he will enjoy immunity- it was immediately decided that he is a persona non grata and will not be welcome in Aruba for the rest of his life. This ruling goes right against the ruling of Chief Judge Yvonne van Wersch; it is unclear at the moment how Timmermans made this decision and/or whether he was allowed to make it. Whites called Timmermans' choice "Surprising."

Carvajal was immediately picked up by a private plane after which he was met upon his return home by his own family n Maduro's family. He was received as a hero in Venezuela

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Venezuela: San Antonio prison: Drugs, sex and... Salsa

On Isla Margarita just outside the capital city of Porlamar stands the San Antonio prison. From the outside it looks like a -gate locked by guards and -the fence watched by snipers-, like any normal prison in Venezuela. Appearances are deceiving.

Once you are through the gate there is no trace of what you normally find in a prison. In this little paradise over 2,000 prisoners live like gods. Guards you do not see, from the gate the prisoners are in charge. In charge is "Teófilo Rodríguez" aka "El Conejo," a former drug trafficker.

On weekends, the gate is open and outsiders (family, friends and visitors) are welcome to visit people or use the pool, nightclub or other facilities offered by the prison.

The government recognizes the problem but fights for their position within the prison system. Corruption does not help them achieve their goal here. As an example, only 2.5% of the people who complete subsidized studies to work in prisons actually work in prisons. The remaining 97.5%.... who usually find jobs in the private sector or in the criminal circuit.

San Antonio is no exception among the prisons here in Venezuela. However due to the large overpopulation of prisons (as many as four times in some prisons), and the lack of control, it is estimated that at least 1% of all prisoners die from violence on an annual basis.

In between, the minister in charge of prisons and former drug trafficker "El Conejo" maintain an intimate and personal relationship as seen on a surfaced photo

San Antonio has everything you can find in a small town in Venezuela, actually more than that. A swimming pool full of girls in bikinis, with people on the edge sipping imported whiskey, a restaurant, a BBQ and a nightclub. The cool air-conditioned cubicles have satellite dishes, flat screens and every other piece of equipment you can think of. You have a hairdresser, a store and the trade of illegal drugs and modern weapons.

Giovana Vitola and reporter for SBS dateline recently published a reportage made with her iphone about San Antonio. The 12-minute reportage is worth checking out. view

(Photo from SBS dateline)

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Venezuela: more and more less

The shortages in Venezuela are beginning to take on extreme proportions. Besides the shelves of stores getting emptier and emptier, the price of what is still there getting higher and higher, production is at a standstill in many areas due to a shortage of raw materials. A solution? It is not yet in sight.

The "No hay" or "None" sign is still displayed in front of the gas station as I drive past the long queue in front of it. They are lucky because a tanker truck has arrived with gasoline, but you will have to be patient for a few hours until you get through the queue. I guess they leave the "no hay" sign up for convenience because after today it could be some time before the next truck comes.

After an hour of driving on the pothole-filled road I run into the next traffic jam fortunately I can easily drive around it with my bike until I am stopped by the reason for the traffic jam. The road is blocked off with tree trunks and branches, behind the branches groups of young and old are protesting because they have not had water in their village for a long time, "no hay." When, after half an hour, the Guardia Nacional puts an end to the demonstration, I continue on my way.

On either side of the road, large hotels stand empty and dilapidated like small ghost towns. They show off like memorial stones that help remind you of the days of tourists who were once there but now avoid Venezuela or cannot enter the country due to a lack of planes. I doubt I shouldn't have filled up earlier today after all because so far I haven't come across any working gas stations. I stop at an alternative small family eatery on the side of the road, I don't ask for the menu because due to the shortage of products none of the eateries and restaurants handle a menu anymore. The meal of the day is chicken with rice and brown beans.

New cars and motorcycles have hardly been sold there for some time, and the price of used cars has tripled in few months, in some cases exceeding the original new price. The supply of parts is almost at a standstill and more and more cars are coming to a standstill on the side of the road because of that shortage. The lines for the increasingly rare battery sales spots are getting longer and longer.

Construction is at a standstill and where there is still construction it is harder and harder to get building materials, where you are lucky you pay the top price and for the normal man and woman this top price is prohibitive.

The minimum wage of a Venezuelan who does have a job is 4050 bolivar. With the official exchange rate this amounts to just under 400 euros per month, with the black market exchange rate where the euro is not worth 11 bolivars but 108 bolivars this amounts to 40 euros per month.

But with 4050 bolivars you have to make do. Recently the government raised the minimum wage by 30% however since then some prices have risen to as high as 300%.

When I walk into a supermarket I mostly see empty shelves or aisles full of shelves with the same products. Coffee, milk, water and oil I am not going to find here. For that I have to go on a scavenger hunt for a place without a "No Hay" sign and probably another long queue.

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Venezuela 1: The mothers are in charge.

When I got there it was fairly tame, yet immediately there was a tense atmosphere. People were on the lookout, some of the previous day's barricades were still there, and at the end of the street I could see the army's armored vehicles standing by. Still, my guide told me, today was quieter than usual: the counter-demonstrations last weeks have had their effect on people in the neighborhood. They are tired, but mostly scared. "What is a stick and tin we have against their weapons? We can't resist that!". As we pass the "military site" sign, we walk into the neighborhood where he grew up.

Earlier that day, I took a walk around the plazas in San Cristobal, Venezuela, engaging in conversation with several supporters and opponents of the current government. Emotions run high here when it comes to politics, but over a beer you can say (almost) anything. At a time like this, it doesn't really matter if you are for or against. Downtown, everything is relatively quiet and daily life, the market and everything else goes on as usual. `

My guide, (let's call him Eduardo) and I walk further into his neighborhood, he talks full on about the neighborhood where he has lived all his life, does sometimes lower his voice volume, and looks around when he starts to talk, for example, about his decision to want to leave Venezuela because of everything that is happening now and to flee to Colombia.

The neighborhood knows each other, and although there are relatively many criminals in Eduardo's neighborhood, relatively little happens. It's because of the so called "do not touch" - us knows us line that runs outside the neighborhood. What you do out there is up to you, but you don't piss in the neighborhood you live in.

As we walk through we hear the constantly approaching gunfire in front of us, I am told that this is a small uprising on the outer ring of the neighborhood. In between, they rebuild the barricades - removed by the army - and the fathers stand guard on the roofs of the house. We are told several times that it is not wise to continue. We regularly pass groups of busily discussing women.

Eduardo has guts, the student in ICT who has hardly interfered with what was happening in the neighborhood recently. For two reasons he states; "my sister who lives with me and my future" as an ICT student he is largely dependent on the government for work. Yet, he wants to show me everything and talks openly about the pros and cons and lets others from his neighborhood do the same.

I was glad that it was fairly quiet on the street this first evening, it gave me time to talk to everyone in peace there were also several times when I was reminded that these few days of rest (since last Thursday/Friday) was not a sign of weakness. "Sometimes it is better to withdraw for a while, only to come back stronger." Life in the neighborhood continues, but is at a standstill in some areas, some schools are closed and the supply of food was already difficult and is not getting any easier because of the barricades.

What struck me most is that "the mothers are in charge." The protesters do not easily flinch at anything but if mom says it's done, it's done and not otherwise. So far the mothers do not believe this so the demonstrations will continue, or not increase. If it is up to the mothers it is not finished with the resistance to what they see as a great injustice. The mothers, and with them their demonstrators, are far from tired.