Venezuelan security forces have arrested thousands of people in the wake of last week's mass protests by opponents of President Nicolas Maduro, who say he rigged the July 28 election. As Caracas correspondent Yan Boechat reports, the latest crackdown targeted Venezuela's poorest, who until now have been the main base of support for Mr. Maduro.
For the first time in 25 years, residents living in the slums of Venezuela's capital took to the streets to protest against Chavismos, the ideology of the leftist governments that have ruled the country for decades.
This caught both the government and the opposition by surprise.
Less than 24 hours after Nicolás Maduro declared victory in the election, residents of the poorest neighborhoods in Caracas took to the streets, some of them banging pots and pans, all outraged by the election, which the opposition claims was rigged.
“We are gathered here because of the rigging of the elections and the deception of the Venezuelan people. We are tired of the oppression in this beautiful and wonderful country,” says protester José Valdez.
The crowd of protesters marched towards the city center. They came from a cluster of slums in Caracas, home to about 400,000 people.
They were violently detained by the security forces.
Thus began a week of brutal repression, in which over 20 people were killed and around 2,000 others imprisoned.
The repressive measures targeted the poorest segments of the population, those who have been the base of support for left-wing governments in the past two decades. This segment of the population is now calling for change in Venezuela.
Many are now missing and their families are demanding answers.
“They gave me very little information about what they are accusing him of. Why don't they tell me anything about it? I ask them and they still don't tell me anything about his condition,” says Hernán García, the father of an arrested protester.
Hernán Garcia is looking for his son. At the doors of detention centers in Caracas, hundreds of people like him seek information about their missing relatives. Almost all of them are slum dwellers. There was almost none of the traditional opposition in Venezuela, whose members are usually middle-class and well-educated.
Maduro's forces are cracking down on the poorest population to prevent other slum dwellers from rising in protest.
Both the government and the opposition agree that only the poorest communities can be able to shake the government.
They were the most loyal, until last week.
The response has been harsh to those who had the courage to protest in the bastion of the leftist ideology “Chavismo”.
“We know that they are appearing in the terrorism courts and terrorism charges are being brought against them. This is a very serious offense that carries a 30-year prison sentence. In other words, this is the maximum punishment we have in Venezuela”, says Stefania Migliorini from the human rights protection organization “Foro Penal”.
Nicolas Maduro has vowed that he will not pardon and will give harsh punishments to those he considers terrorists.
Among the punishments, he suggests, will be forced labor.
In the past, threats have worked. Residents of the slums have not participated in previous opposition protests. At the time, the protesters were led by Venezuela's middle class.
The events of the past week show that the battle lines for Mr. Maduro are shifting.
