Human Rights Groups Demand Release of Detained Activist
Human rights groups called for the release of Rocío San Miguel, a prominent lawyer and critic of the Venezuelan government who was detained on Friday; authorities said her detention was linked to her alleged involvement in a plot to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro, but the Venezuelan human rights group Provea said it was due to her work defending human rights (AFP)
Venezuela Increases Military Presence Near Guyana Border
Satellite images showed that the expansion of military force included new infrastructure and the presence of armored vehicles close to the disputed Guyana-controlled Essequibo region, despite the agreement between the two countries to avoid escalating conflict by any means (CNN)
Guyana’s Foreign Ministry expressed their disappointment, but said they were “not surprised by the bad faith of Venezuela”(WSJ)
Senior U.S. Officials Expected in Bogotá for Talks on Rising Tensions, Political Freedoms in Venezuela
The trip next week comes after Washington reimposed a sanction on Caracas following a court ban on a presidential candidate running for office in this year’s election (Bloomberg)
U.S. Reimposes Some Sanctions on Venezuela After Candidate Ban
Washington will reimpose sanctions on Caracas’s gold sector following a Venezuelan court’s upholding of a ban on an opposition presidential candidate; a U.S. National Security Council spokesperson said that sanctions on the oil and gas sector will be reinstated in April if the government does not “get back on track with allowing all presidential candidates to run” in elections later this year (AP)
U.S. Reviews Sanctions Policy on Venezuela After Ban on Politician Upheld
A Venezuelan court upheld a ban that prevents presidential hopeful María Corina Machado from running in this year’s election, prompting the State Department to announce it is reviewing its Venezuela sanctions policy; Washington eased sanctions on Caracas after the Nicolás Maduro government made commitments last year to hold free and fair elections (AP)
Venezuela, Guyana Foreign Mininsters Pledge to Peacefully Resolve Territorial Dispute
The parties discussed the territorial dispute over the Guyana-controlled Essequibo region at a meeting in Brazil; the meeting followed a mutual declaration of intent to avoid violence in December (Bloomberg)
Opposition Presidential Hopeful Launches Alliance With Political Parties, Civil Society Groups
María Corina Machado also called for an official date to be set for the vote at an event in Caracas, which is expected to occur later this year; Machado is awaiting a Supreme Court decision on whether a ban against her holding public office will be lifted (Reuters)
Maduro: Economy Grew 5 Percent in 2023
Venezuela has suffered a prolonged economic crisis in recent years, though the United States has eased sanctions on the country’s oil and gas sector in the last year (Reuters)
UK to Deploy Ship to Guyana Amid Territorial Dispute With Venezuela
The United Kingdom (UK) is sending a naval patrol ship to Guyana and has expressed “unequivocal” support for the country after neighboring Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro organized a referendum claiming that Georgetown’s oil-rich Essequibo territory belonged to Caracas; Guyana is a former British colony (FT)
U.S., Venezuela Carry Out Prisoner Swap
The United States released a close ally of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in exchange for the freedom of ten Americans detained in Venezuela and twenty-one Venezuelan prisoners in a Qatar-brokered exchange, the White House said; the deal comes amid an intensification of diplomacy between Washington and Caracas that in recent months has also yielded a pledge by Maduro on conditions for next year’s presidential election and some U.S. sanctions relief (NPR)
Guyanese, Venezuelan Leaders Agree to Refrain From Force in Territorial Dispute
At a meeting in St. Vincent and the Grenadines that was mediated by regional officials, the two countries’ leaders agreed to restrain from threats and the use of force in a dispute over the land rights to the Guyana-run Essequibo territory; a joint commission made up of the foreign ministers of both countries was created to address the issue, and Guyana and Venezuela plan to meet again in Brazil within the next three months (AP)
Leaders of Guyana, Venezuela to Meet Amid Territorial Dispute
Neighboring countries such as Brazil are sending envoys to the meeting in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines today, which was scheduled after Venezuela threatened to annex Guyana’s oil-rich Essequibo region; South American countries have urged for a peaceful resolution, and the United States has expressed support for Guyana’s sovereignty (Reuters)
Venezuela and Guyana Agree to Meet to Discuss Territorial Dispute
The leaders of the two countries set a meeting for December 14 amid a dispute over the oil-rich territory of Essequibo in Guyana, but Guyanese President Mohamed Irfaan Ali added that “Guyana’s land boundary is not up for discussion” (Reuters)
U.S., Guyana Hold Joint Drills Amid Venezuela’s Threats
The two countries conducted joint air drills yesterday over Guyana amid threats by Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to annex part of oil-rich Guyana; Guyana’s president said he hopes the dispute, on which Venezuela conducted a referendum last week, can be resolved peacefully (CBS)
Venezuelan Attorney General Orders Arrests of Senior Opposition Leaders
The attorney general accused a dozen opposition members of conspiring against the government’s plans to hold a referendum last weekend over the disputed territory of Essequibo, currently controlled by Guyana; those accused include former legislative leader Juan Guaidó and three campaign staffers of presidential candidate María Corina Machado (AP)
President Nicolás Maduro Orders State Companies to Extract Oil in Disputed Territory
Essequibo is run by neighboring Guyana, but Venezuelans claimed rights to the land after a weekend referendum vote; Guyana’s president said he would report the matter to the UN Security Council and International Court of Justice (FT)
Venezuelan Voters Back Claim to Portion of Neighboring Guyana in Referendum
A majority of Venezuelans voted yesterday that the government should turn a large portion of oil-rich neighboring Guyana into a Venezuelan state; however, turnout at the referendum appeared low, and it was unclear how the Venezuelan government would enforce the results of the vote (AP)
The International Court of Justice ruled on Friday that Venezuela should not take action that would alter Guyana’s control of the region (Reuters)
Colombia Considers Importing Oil and Gas From Venezuela
Colombia’s oil minister also said the country may participate in oil exploration in Venezuela as Colombia tries to cut fuel prices (Bloomberg)
Reuters: Venezuela Works Toward Offshore Gas Deal With Trinidad, Shell
Venezuela’s government is reportedly nearing a deal with multinational oil company Shell and Trinidad and Tobago’s National Gas Company to develop an offshore gas field; the development became possible after the United States, which maintains broad sanctions on Venezuela, issued a two-year authorization for the field in January (Reuters)
American Arrested in Venezuela Shortly After U.S. Sanctions Deal
Reports have emerged of an arrest on October 24, though no criminal charges have been filed, and the individual has not been allowed to see a lawyer (AP)
Paraguay, Venezuela Agree to Reestablish Diplomatic Relations
Paraguay severed ties with Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro government in 2019 when it recognized opposition leader Juan Guaidó as the country’s interim president (Reuters)
Venezuela Says EU Election Observers Are Unwelcome Despite Deal for Free Vote
The head of Venezuela’s congress, Jorge Rodríguez, said he would not invite European Union (EU) monitors to next year’s election after the bloc recently extended sanctions on fifty Venezuelan officials (Bloomberg)
Last month, Venezuela’s government agreed to invite five organizations, including the EU, to monitor the vote, but Rodríguez now says the EU monitors are unwelcome as long as sanctions remain in place (Reuters)
Venezuela Aims to Increase Oil Output After Sanctions Relief
The sanctions relief allows Venezuela to attract new investors and receive payments for oil and gas exports freely for six months (Reuters)
Meanwhile, Venezuela denounced a decision by the International Criminal Court (ICC) to resume an investigation into alleged crimes against humanity committed by Venezuelan officials (Reuters)
Venezuelan Opposition Leader Plans to Run in Presidential Election Despite Ban
María Corina Machado and other opposition figures dismissed a court ruling suspending primary election results, calling it a political move meant to discredit Machado’s candidacy (FT)
Guyana Seeks Suspension of Venezuelan Referendum on Annexing Disputed Territory
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro said Guyana requested the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issue a resolution calling on Venezuela not to hold a planned December 3 referendum on whether to annex the oil-rich Essequibo territory, which has been disputed for hundreds of years; Venezuela does not recognize the ICJ’s authority on the issue (Bloomberg)