October 2, 2024

Greetings All,

On this Wrongful Conviction Day, Leonard Peltier, the longest-serving Indigenous political prisoner, is incarcerated in lockdown-modified operations conditions at USP Coleman I, operated by the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons (BOP).

Yet, in this moment of silence, Leonard speaks. To honor his birthday and all those who are unjustly convicted and incarcerated, the Leonard Peltier Official Ad Hoc Committee has released a video of Leonard Peltier that is going viral. Narrated by renowned scholar Ward Churchill and set to a video created by award-winning filmmaker Suzie Baer, the film most importantly centers Leonard’s personal reflection on his 80th year.

Jenipher Jones, Mr. Peltier’s lead counsel, commented, “This powerfully moving film captures the essence of who I know Leonard to be. I am grateful to Professor Churchill and Suzie Baer for their work and longstanding advocacy of Leonard. As the recent execution of Marcellus Williams-Imam Khaliifah Williams shows us, we as a society bear a responsibility to uplift the cases of all those who are wrongfully convicted and also hold the government accountable to do that for which it professes to exist. We must challenge our impulses of blind blood-thirst for guilt and the use of our legal systems to carry out this malignant pathology. There is absolutely no lawful justification for Leonard’s incarceration.”

“Leonard Peltier is Native elder whose wrongful incarceration is shameful. His continued imprisonment exemplifies the historical cruelty of the US Government toward Native people. The US BOP’s treatment of Leonard Peltier is unlawful, and he deserves his freedom.” – Suzie Baer

“Until Leonard Peltier breathes free air, we are all caged. When will this government commit one act of Justice? ” – Dawn Lawson

Below, please find Leonard’s Statement.

To view the film, please visit https://tinyurl.com/Peltier80thPresentation. We hope to have additional updates on Leonard soon. In the meantime, please engage our calls to action or donate to his defense efforts. Miigwech.

LEONARD PELTIER’S 80th BIRTHDAY STATEMENT 2024 ©

Greetings my Friends, Loved Ones, Relatives, Supporters,

When I was a child, I looked to my Elders to learn how to live within Mother Earth’s rhythms.

I yearn to sit by the fire with my loved ones and have our children look to me to learn the mysteries of Mother Earth. I want to laugh, share the pipe, and gaze into the eyes of a woman who does not carry handcuffs.

I have become an Elder. I suppose, in many ways, I am still the nine-year-old who founded The Resistance among my peers at Wahpeton Boarding School, the young man willing to sacrifice everything to protect my people, and the young man who worked hard and played hard when the chance arose.

At the same time, I feel every second of these past eighty years wreaking havoc on my body.

I have been losing my eyesight, but my inner vision is not that of an old man. I long to get out there and work. My mind is filled with ideas to combat the greed and corruption that spread like a poisonous mold through the halls of those who govern us.

When I was sentenced, I stated:

“I do feel pity for your people that they must live under such a ugly system. Under your system you are taught greed, racism and corruption, and the most serious of all, the destruction of our mother earth. Under the native American system we are taught all people are brothers and sisters, to share the wealth with the poor and needy; but the most important of all is to respect and preserve the earth, to me considered to be our mother.”

I could not help but see far and wide. I saw the continued colonization and destruction of Mother Earth and the ongoing termination of an entire People.

I perceive more than most of you know, even in lockdown. I see spirit warriors stand up and speak out; it does my heart good.

I also see the erosion of laws meant to protect our very right to survive. Civil rights used to be a pretense. They were never a true thing. Now, I see that the government is not bothering to pretend.

We cannot continue to allow greed, racism, and corruption to rule us.

Remember, my people. Remember who you are. Mother Earth herself flows through our veins. We endure. The greed, corruption, and disdain of the colonizers will bring them to their ruin. They seek to ravish Mother Earth while chasing the almighty dollar.

We have survived their apocalypse. We are not simply enduring; we are destined to thrive.

The lockdowns have not been kind to my body. I am not going to stand here and cry over what happens to an eighty-year-old body held in lockdown for over four years. I will continue to plan, think, and change what is within my reach.

Hope is a hard thing, but I still hold hope. The parole denial was not unexpected. I will not say I was overjoyed with the outcome, but we knew. They may yet surprise us with the answer to the appeal Jenipher Jones and Moira Meltzer-Cohen filed.

Jenipher Jones has assured me from the start that she is fully committed to my case. I trust her word. Jenipher will fight for me and with me in court if the appeal is rejected.

My friends, I need you to fight for you.

Police are beating children in the streets. The Parole Commission still illegally holds many of us long past our release dates. The Supreme Court has made it impossible for people to challenge wrongful convictions.

Indigenous people are still being forced from our land – we protect Mother Earth. They have stripped her bare and now want our resources. Our people go missing at a staggering rate, and no one blinks.

We are awaiting the Uhuru verdict to determine whether free speech exists, a verdict that may well come down on my eightieth birthday.

And – I am still in prison.

The Constitution reads, “We, the People.”

We must tell those in power we ARE the people.

***

This statement was meant to be released on my 80^th birthday. I was in a ten-day lockdown, and my Board waited for me to approve the final edits.

I regret that no statement was released on my 80^th birthday. I regret that this country has been taken by those who can cage human beings in conditions that would be illegal for dogs.

As I said, I need you to fight for you. I fight every day for my freedom with my legal team. I am now fighting for my life. They sentenced me to Death by Incarceration. They are trying hard to enforce that.

They have never managed to cage my Spirit. They never will. Do not allow anyone to cage yours.

In the Spirit of Crazy Horse

Doksha,

Leonard Peltier

Source: Free Leonard Peltier Now Committee

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The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine exalts the great national Arab leader, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Hassan Nasrallah, who passed on Friday 27/9/2024, as a result of a treacherous zionist raid on the southern suburb of Beirut after he carried out his duties of struggle toward our Arab nation in defense of Lebanon and Palestine.

The banner of resistance will not be broken, and the martyrdom of the Master of Resistance marks the beginning of a new phase of greater strength and determination to continue on the same path.

The Popular Front mourns the Master of Resistance, the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, and a group of Hezbollah’s brave leaders, martyrs on the path to Al-Quds.

In the name of its Secretary-General, his deputy, its Political Bureau, Central Committee, and all its cadres and members at home and in the diaspora, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine mourns to our people, the nation, the Axis of Resistance, and the liberation movement, the leader of the resistance, the master of martyrs, and the inspiration of an entire generation, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah “Abu Hadi,” the Secretary-General of Lebanese Hezbollah, and a group of heroic leaders of the resistance who were martyred in a cowardly zionist assassination in the southern suburb of Beirut, coordinated and planned with the criminal American enemy.

The Front expresses its deep solidarity with the brothers in Hezbollah—leadership, cadres, and fighters—and the Lebanese people, and the Axis of Resistance, in this great and significant loss. We send them a clear message: Your wound is our wound, the blood of your leaders is our blood, and the martyrdom of the Master of Resistance, Hassan Nasrallah, represents the beginning of a new phase of resistance, more powerful and determined to continue on the same path.

Palestine, Lebanon, the entire nation, and indeed the global liberation movement have lost an exceptional leader and a symbol of Arab and revolutionary resistance worldwide. The great martyr was a unique leadership figure in every sense of the word, enjoying a high stature in the struggle against occupation and the American enemy. He was distinguished by his steadfast positions supporting the rights of Arab peoples, foremost among them the Palestinian cause. He was characterized by rare courage in facing threats and by political acumen that enabled him to anticipate regional and international developments, making him capable of dealing with the most complex challenges that faced the resistance, whether militarily or politically. He had clear fingerprints on the victories achieved by the resistance in Lebanon, foremost among them the July victory and the expulsion of the zionist occupation from southern Lebanon in 2000.

The great martyr dedicated his life to serving the cause of resistance, sacrificing the precious and dear, most notably the loss of his eldest son, Hadi, who was martyred in a heroic battle against the occupation, setting an exemplary model in sacrifice and loyalty to the cause.

The impact of martyr Nasrallah was not limited to the Lebanese arena alone but transcended borders to become a symbol of resistance throughout the region and a pivotal leader in supporting Palestinian resistance factions, providing them with all the logistical support, military training, and weapons they needed. His historic decision to support the resistance in Gaza during the Al-Aqsa Flood battle had a great impact in enhancing the capabilities of the Palestinian resistance. Since the founding of Hezbollah, the Palestinian cause was strongly present in its doctrine, and the martyr always emphasized that the liberation of Al-Quds is a legal and moral duty. Through his role in developing the party’s arsenal of advanced rockets and weapons, he managed to create a balance of horror with the zionist entity, contributing to protecting Lebanon from repeated attacks.

The Master of Resistance departed to join his fellow martyrs, never abandoning his position in the front lines, resisting until the last moment. While we today feel the bitterness of loss, we stand tall in facing this enemy who thought that targeting the leaders of the resistance, foremost among them the great martyr Hassan Nasrallah and his fellow leaders, would break the will of the resistance.

The martyrdom of the Master of Resistance represents a grave loss, but it will not weaken the resolve of the resistance nor diminish its determination; on the contrary, the ranks of the resistance in Lebanon and everywhere will increase in insistence on continuing the confrontation with this tyrannical enemy who understands only the language of force. The blood of these martyrs will form new fuel for the fire of resistance, which will not die down until the liberation of Palestine and all occupied Arab lands.

We pledge to the martyred leader and all the free resistance fighters that the response to this zionist crime will be commensurate with the crime itself. The resistance continues, stronger and more united on all fronts of support like one body, armed with the will of the peoples and their rallying around the legitimate option of resistance in defending our occupied lands and our dignity until achieving victory over this usurping zionist entity and its allies and agents in the region.

Glory and eternity to the soul of the martyr leader and the martyr leaders, and we will certainly be victorious.

The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
Political Bureau
28 September 2024

https://t.me/PalestineResist/59507

Mexico City, Mexico, September 16, 2024 (venezuelanalysis.com) – Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello reported the arrest of a U.S. Navy SEAL alongside two Spanish citizens allegedly linked to intelligence agencies.

The foreign citizens are accused of plotting to assassinate President Nicolás Maduro and other high-ranking Venezuelan officials.

At a press conference on Saturday at the ministry’s headquarters, in front of some of the 400 seized firearms linked to the reported plot, Cabello accused Wilbert Joseph Castañeda, an active duty U.S. sailor, of leading the effort on behalf of U.S. intelligence.

“Castañeda is the head of the operation, placed here by the CIA,” said Cabello.

Castañeda’s arrest was first reported earlier this month. At the time, White House Spokesperson John Kirby denied that the Navy serviceman was in Venezuela on official business and argued his travel was for personal reasons.

In his press conference, Cabello said the alleged assassination plot was uncovered after authorities were tipped off about a weapons shipment from the U.S. that was illegally smuggled into the country.

“The U.S. is behind this operation. The U.S. is handing over these firearms, they allow them to freely circulate so they can arrive in Venezuela and be used in an operation,” said Cabello. He claimed the weapon parts were disguised in containers to be assembled upon arrival.

The Venezuelan interior minister said the discovery of the firearms unraveled a “terrorist plot” that included an effort to kill the president alongside high-ranking figures such as Vice President Delcy Rodríguez and Cabello himself. He added that the conspirators aimed to attack public infrastructure, including water supplies, electricity, and transportation.

Cabello said security forces had also uncovered a conspiracy to launch grenades at the Argentinian Embassy in Caracas in order to generate a diplomatic incident to be blamed on the Maduro government. Venezuela recently suspended the agreement that allowed Brazil to assume custody of the Argentine diplomatic residence in Caracas where six individuals tied to the U.S.-backed opposition had sought asylum fleeing charges.

Venezuelan authorities likewise arrested five other foreigners in connection to the denounced plans, including two Spanish citizens, José María Basoa Valdovinos and Andrés Martínez Adasme, who were accused of having ties to Spain’s National Intelligence Center.

Two other U.S. citizens, David Estrella and Aaron Barrett Logan, were also detained on charges of being “hackers.” Cabello went on to announce the arrest of a Czech individual by the name of Jan Darmovzal who was supposedly brought into the conspiracy as a mercenary.

The U.S. State Department issued a reaction denying the allegations, calling them “categorically false”.

Cabello shared images of conversations on a messaging application allegedly showing Castañeda discussing violent plans on election night with an individual identified only by his alias “El Flaco.” In these chats, Castañeda talked openly about taking advantage of the unrest in the country following the electoral authority’s announcement that Maduro had been reelected in order to assassinate the president.

“We want the world to know that Venezuela is under siege by U.S. imperialism,” stated Cabello. “The U.S. allows its territory to be used to arm [radical] groups.”

The Venezuelan official further demanded that the U.S. government address the allegations and “clarify” the role of its agencies and the control over weapons smuggled to “overthrow a foreign government.”

Several other Venezuelan nationals were accused of participating in the alleged operation. Cabello alleged ties to the hardline opposition, including to José Miguel Estrada who was convicted over his role in the assassination attempt against Maduro on August 4, 2018. Vente Venezuela, the organization led by far-right opposition leader María Corina Machado, considers Estrada a political prisoner. Cabello added a total of 14 individuals in Venezuelan prisons that were connected to the conspiracy.

Cabello compared the plot with “Operation Gideon,” a paramilitary action that aimed to topple the Maduro government. In May 2020, the Venezuelan armed forces neutralized the attempted incursion with speedboats that had departed from Colombia, with six invading operatives killed and dozens arrested.

Jordan Goudreau, a former U.S. Green Beret and the head of that operation, was recently arrested in the U.S. to face federal arms smuggling charges after allegedly shipping weapons, ammunition and other military equipment to Colombia.

Two other former green berets, Airan Berry and Luke Denman, were detained and handed 20-year sentences before returning to the U.S. on a prisoner exchange last year.

Edited by Ricardo Vaz in Lisbon, Portugal.

Source: Venezuela Analysis

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The racist campaign against the Haitian community in Springfield, Ohio, is dangerous and must be stopped.

Both Donald Trump and his running mate, Ohio Senator J.D. Vance, are fanning the flames of racial hatred. They’re claiming that Haitians living in Springfield are eating people’s pets. Billionaire Elon Musk repeated these lies to his nearly 200 million followers on X (formerly known as Twitter).

These ludicrous allegations using racist stereotypes can’t be regarded as a mere joke, as many candidates of the Democratic Party are doing. They are the stuff that can lead to mob violence.

What Trump, Vance, and Musk are telling people is that Haitian people are “dangerous savages” who have to be put down and driven out. A neo-Nazi gang called the Blood Tribe was bellowing the same message when they marched through Springfield in August carrying swastika flags. 

Instead of investigating these Nazis, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is considering filing a lawsuit to prevent migrants from coming to Ohio. That’s reminiscent of an 1807 Ohio ordinance that required Black people coming into the state to post a $500 bond.

The tragic death of 11-year-old Adrian Clark last year in Springfield when his school bus was struck by a Haitian driver is being used to whip up racism. The plea of Adrian’s father, Nathan Clark, a teacher, not to use his son’s death to spread hate is being ignored.

Vance posted on X that “a child was murdered by a Haitian migrant.”

Nathan Clark responded at a Springfield City Commission hearing, saying “My son was not murdered. He was accidentally killed by an immigrant from Haiti … don’t spin this towards hate.”  

On Sept. 12, a racist bomb threat forced Springfield’s city hall, two schools, and other facilities to be evacuated. The schools involved had many Haitian students.  

Revenge for liberating themselves

The current racist hysteria is another chapter in over 230 years of revenge against Haitian people for having conducted the only successful slave revolution in history.

The wealthy and powerful in the United States and Europe have never forgiven Haitians for doing so. From Texas to Maryland, U.S. slave masters lived in fear of “another Haiti” breaking out on their plantations. 

It was Haitian President Alexandre Pétion who gave Simón Bolívar ships and guns to liberate much of South America from Spanish colonialism. Venezuela’s elected President Nicolás Maduro is standing on the shoulders of Pétion and Bolivar.

The white supremacist President Woodrow Wilson had U.S. Marines steal Haiti’s gold reserve and occupy the country for nearly 20 years. The Marine who assassinated the Haitian national hero, Charlemagne Péralte, was obscenely awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor.

While Trump & Co. are spreading filthy lies about Haitians in Ohio, the Biden Administration wants to re-occupy Haiti using soldiers from Kenya and other countries.

A long history

Springfield, Ohio, has seen mob violence before. Richard Dickerson— sometimes spelled Dixon — was taken from his jail cell there and hanged from a telegraph pole by a mob of racists on March 7, 1904.

Two thousand came to watch the African American die. Revolvers were passed around so that the corpse could be shot up.

After killing Dickerson, the mob then went to the “Levee” district by the river and burned 150 Black people out of their homes. White firefighters did nothing except protect the drinking establishment owned by Charley Bray, a white saloon keeper. 

While all this was happening, Company A of the Ohio National Guard’s Ninth Battalion — an all-Black outfit — was kept bottled up in the armory by Springfield Mayor Bowlus. (Cleveland Gazette)

But there’s another side to Springfield’s history. Seventeen miles away are the Wilberforce University and Central State University campuses, both historically Black institutions (HBCUs).

John Brown lived in Springfield, Ohio from 1845 to 1851, running the “Perkins and Brown” wool warehouse there.

Frederick Douglass first met John Brown in Brown’s Springfield home. There, Brown revealed to Douglass his great plan to turn the Allegheny Mountains into a guerilla stronghold. (“John Brown” by W.E.B. Du Bois)

Springfield’s Black community righteously rebelled in 1967 against racism.

Like other communities across the Midwest, factory closings have deeply wounded Springfield, pushing back the labor movement. Yet today 1,300 United Auto Workers Local 402 members work at Springfield’s Navistar truck plant.

The labor and people’s movements have to mobilize to stop the racist hysteria being incited by Trump and Fox News. Beat back the racist attack!

Statement from the Central Organizing Committee of the Communist Party of Kenya (CPK)

Comrade Booker’s Illegal Arrest: A Cowardly Attack by a Regime in Fear

Fellow Kenyans, comrades, and the international community, we come to you in a state of fury and defiance after the illegal and politically motivated arrest of our National Vice Chairperson, Booker Ngesa Omole, on the 7th of September, 2024.

This regime has once again shown its true colors—an administration of fear, repression, and state-sponsored harassment against those who dare challenge its authority. Booker was on an official assignment for the Communist Party of Kenya, en route to China, a country with which Kenya has ongoing diplomatic relations. In a shocking display of abuse of power, Booker was arrested aboard a Qatar Airways flight bound for Beijing via Doha. The immigration police at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA) acted on a stop order with no basis in law, detaining him for six hours before handing him over to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI). The state is desperately trying to silence the leaders of the revolutionary movement. What was the basis of Booker’s arrest? Incitement to violence—an outrageous and baseless charge meant to humiliate and intimidate. The arresting officer even mocked him of competing with the president by thinking he can travel to Beijing when the head of state has just concluded his visit to China. The absurdity of this explanation exposes the fragile paranoia gripping this regime. The Kenyan government is willing to expend more resources chasing after revolutionaries than addressing the real criminals plundering our country. We must ask ourselves: why is this government so afraid of Booker’s trip to China?

What truths does he carry that they fear? Let it be known: there is nothing illegal about Booker’s travel! The same President who continues runs from the truth in Kenya only visits China to peddle lies and more lies. The hypocrisy is staggering.

Booker was taken from JKIA to Central Police Station under the cover of night, where he was locked up for two hours. It was only due to public pressure and multiple calls to the Inspector General that he was released at 11 p.m. But the damage had been done.

His travel documents—passport, yellow fever card, and boarding pass—were confiscated, and to this moment, the state has yet to return them. Let this be clear: the charges of incitement and the use of Section 56 of the Police Act are relics of colonial rule, unconstitutional and out of place in post-2010 Kenya. These laws must be quashed from our penal co de, and we demand their immediate abolition. This harassment will not deter us. The Kenya Kwanza regime, led by the dictator William Ruto, must return Booker’s travel documents immediately and cease this state-sponsored witch hunt. They can try to harass us, intimidate us, and fabricate charges, but the truth is on our side. The only criminals here are the ones sitting in power, auctioning off our country to imperialists and multinational corporations.

Ruto shall not change. He is beyond reform. Every act of repression only cements what we have long known: the only solution for this nation is to remove him from power once and for all. The Kenyan people deserve leadership that fights for them, not against them.

The Communist Party of Kenya, alongside all revolutionaries and patriots, will continue the struggle for justice, freedom, and dignity. To the Kenyan people, rise up! Let this illegal arrest serve as a reminder of the lengths this regime will go to maintain its grip on power.

We shall not be silenced. Ruto and his cronies have no future in a free and just Kenya. The people shall prevail. The revolution will triumph. Return Booker’s documents! Stop the witch hunt! Ruto must go!

Signed, The Central Organizing Committee of the Communist Party of Kenya In solidarity with the oppressed masses of Kenya

Source: Friends of Socialist China

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Caracas, August 22, 2024 (venezuelanalysis.com) – The Venezuelan Supreme Court (TSJ) has concluded its review of the July 28 presidential elections in the Caribbean country.

On Thursday, Venezuela’s maximum judicial authority ratified President Nicolás Maduro’s victory to secure a third term that will run from January 10, 2025, to January 10, 2031.

In a press conference with state officials, diplomatic representatives and reporters, TSJ President Caryslia Rodríguez began by reaffirming the court’s jurisdiction and recalling recent electoral processes in Brazil, Mexico and the United States that were ultimately settled by judicial rulings. The magistrate then proceeded to read the verdict.

“We certify in an unobjectionable way that the examined electoral evidence confirms the results proclaimed by the National Electoral Council (CNE) which saw Nicolás Maduro reelected as president,” she said.

The CNE declared Maduro the winner with 52 percent of the vote, compared to 43 percent for US-backed opposition candidate Edmundo González.

Rodríguez stated that a team of national and international experts had conducted a review “with the highest technical standards” of the voting records submitted by electoral parties and candidates and found them to “fully coincide” with data from the CNE’s tallying centers.

The TSJ president, who also heads the body’s electoral branch, additionally stressed that the CNE should publish the “definitive results” in the National Gazette before an August 28 deadline. Venezuela’s electoral authority has not published detailed results broken down by voting center, with officials denouncing massive cyberattacks against state infrastructure.

On July 31, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro requested that the CNE’s electoral branch intervene following fraud claims and violent unrest in the days after the vote.

Rodríguez declared that the CNE submitted electoral evidence as required, as did most political parties and candidates that took part in the July 28 contest. Two of the former presidential hopefuls, Enrique Márquez and Antonio Ecarri, did not deliver voting tallies. Both went on to introduce appeals before the TSJ, with Márquez calling for the TSJ president to recuse herself over alleged political biases and Ecarri requesting that the court’s constitutional branch clarify the respective responsibilities of the electoral branch and the CNE.

In delivering the final ruling, which is not appealable, Rodríguez recalled that hardline candidate González was in contempt of court for not appearing as summoned and not consigning the requested evidence. She urged Attorney General Tarek William Saab to launch investigations for crimes including usurpation of functions, document forgery and digital infractions.

Thursday’s verdict was welcomed by government officials, with Foreign Minister Yván Gil saying that the ruling “turns the page” on the elections and that the country is “at peace.” For his part, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino praised Venezuela’s institutions for “fulfilling their role.”

On Wednesday, González and far-right political leader María Corina Machado issued a joint statement arguing that the Supreme Court holds no competency to validate electoral results and demanding that the CNE comply with their claims that González was the victor by a landslide. His campaign team set up a website showing purported voting tallies, though the authenticity of the uploaded documents has been called into question.

Machado and González went on to vow that the latter will take office as president next January.

The hardline US-backed opposition has reiteratedly refused to recognize electoral defeats over the past two decades, often spurring violent street protests in response. In recent weeks, US officials have voiced support for González’s claim and emphasized the need for a “transition” in the Latin American country.

On Thursday, US Senators including Rick Scott (R-FL) and Jim Risch (R-ID) announced the so-called VALOR Act to “promote democracy” in Venezuela. The legislation includes an emphasis on economic sanctions against the Caribbean nation.

The Maduro government has repeatedly rejected foreign meddling and attacks on Venezuelan sovereignty. It has denounced a US-led coup attempt following the latest election. Caracas suspended diplomatic relations with Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Panama, Peru and the Dominican Republic earlier this month, accusing the respective governments of being “subordinated to Washington” and interfering in internal Venezuelan affairs.

The Venezuelan Foreign Ministry has likewise rejected a UN expert panel report on the July 28 vote due to “perverse political intentions” and for breaking the terms agreed to with the CNE. The four-person UN team claimed the lack of detailed results generated a “negative impact on confidence in the outcome” and also pointed to the suspension of post-electoral audits.

Caracas had previously taken aim at “blatant lies” by the Carter Center’s observation mission.

In contrast, a series of other international accompaniment teams endorsed the Venezuelan electoral process. A delegation from the US’ National Lawyers Guild (NLG) issued a statement affirming that its members “witnessed no instances of fraud or serious irregularities and found overall voter satisfaction with the electoral process.”

Source

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