- Relatives of political prisoners demonstrated in front of the Ministry of Penitentiary Services, appointed Alex Saab as Minister of National Production, Foro Penal reported 1,936 political prisoners, FundaRedes denounced an environmental crisis in several states of the country and the leader Eduardo Labrador was detained in Zulia | Photo: El Diario
This Friday, October 18, the protest of a group of relatives of political prisoners in front of the Ministry of Penitentiary Services and the appointment of Alex Saab as Minister of National Production made the news.
The non-governmental organization (NGO) Foro Penal counted 1,936 political prisoners in Venezuela, while the Vente Venezuela party denounced the arrest of Eduardo Labrador, deputy of the Legislative Council of Zulia. In addition, FundaRedes warned about an environmental crisis generated by illegal mining in the states of Bolívar, Amazonas and Delta Amacuro.
The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) reported an increase in attacks against journalists in Venezuela during the electoral context. On the other hand, the Islamist group Hamas confirmed the death of the commander of the Tel al Sultan battalion in Rafah
Below are the most notable news from Friday, October 18:
1. Relatives of political prisoners protested in front of the Ministry of Penitentiary Services
Relatives of political prisoners in Venezuela protested this Friday, October 18, in front of the headquarters of the Ministry of Penitentiary Services, in Caracas, to demand dignified treatment in detention centers. They alleged that the confinement conditions are “deplorable” and denounced that the food they are given “is in poor condition.”
“The situation is delicate, I saw my son last Wednesday, I saw him for 10 minutes. “My son told me that he is starving, that the food is inhumane, that the food is acidic, that they are not given water,” Yuleici Romero, mother of a young man detained after protests against the official result of the elections, told the EFE agency. presidential elections on July 28.
Romero maintained that his son was arrested when he was on a beach in La Guaira state, with his girlfriend and mother-in-law, on August 7, and was transferred to a prison in Aragua state.
Mildred Martínez, wife of the Municipal Police Commissioner of the Sucre municipality of Miranda state, Gilbert Barillas, denounced that all of her “rights” have been violated.
“I don’t wish it on anyone, having a person deprived of liberty in the conditions that our relatives are in, is not life for one,” he indicated.
On Friday, October 18, Nicolás Maduro appointed Alex Saab as the new Minister for Industry and National Protection, a position held by the former president of Petróleos de Venezuela (PDVSA) Pedro Rafael Tellechea.
The Venezuelan president specified that Saab will receive “all the support” necessary to fulfill the responsibilities of the position he will assume.
The Colombian businessman had been appointed as president of the International Center for Productive Investment (CIIP) of Venezuela on January 15, 2024, with the aim of attracting “the economic force of the entire world,” according to Maduro’s annual message to the National Assembly
Alex Saab was under investigation by US and Colombian authorities for doing business with the Venezuelan government and money laundering. He was arrested in Cape Verde in June 2020 and the United States requested his extradition, which was completed in October 2021.
He was released in December 2023, in the midst of his release in the context of a negotiation for the release of several political prisoners, among whom are the six detained trade unionists and Roberto Abdul, president of Súmate.
3. Penal Forum counted 1,936 political prisoners in Venezuela
The non-governmental organization (NGO) Foro Penal counted 1,936 political prisoners in Venezuela on Friday, October 18, 20 more than last week, when 1,916 people were deprived of liberty for the same reasons.
Through
He specified that, of the total number of arrests, 1,814 were made after the presidential elections of July 28, after the results announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE) that declared Nicolás Maduro as the winner.
The post-election crisis unleashed protests that caused, according to the Executive, 27 deaths and more than 2,400 detainees, a figure that considerably exceeds that of Foro Penal.
4. They denounced the arrest of Eduardo Labrador, deputy of the Legislative Council of Zulia
The Vente Venezuela party denounced the arrest of Eduardo Labrador, deputy of the Legislative Council of the state of Zulia, during the morning of Friday, October 18.
The political organization noted that Labrador, also a leader of the Zulia Humana movement, was arrested by officials of the Zulia state Police when he was preparing to visit his daughter.
“At this time his whereabouts are unknown. Relatives fear that he is being transferred to the city of Caracas,” indicated Vente Venezuela in X.
The party demanded the release of Labrador and called for an end to political persecution in the country.
5. FundaRedes warned about environmental crisis due to illegal mining in several states of Venezuela
The NGO FundaRedes warned about an environmental and human rights crisis generated by illegal mining registered in the states of Bolívar, Amazonas and Delta Amacuro.
Through X, the organization said that mining activities have “destroyed forests, contaminated rivers with mercury and affected indigenous communities, who suffer displacement, labor exploitation and violence.”
He also pointed out that “the presence of armed groups and mafias aggravates the violation of basic rights” of the inhabitants of these areas.
The FundaRedes Environment Observatory, EPA Project, recorded last September that nearly 20 thousand “illegal miners” operate in the Orinoco Mining Arc -located between Delta Amacuro, Bolívar and Amazonas-, who, it stated, cause a “serious deterioration in the quality of life of local communities.”
6. The IAPA reported on the increase in attacks on journalists during the electoral context in Venezuela
The Inter-American Press Association (SIP) warned that attacks on journalists increased in Venezuela in the context of the presidential elections of July 28, according to the organization’s most recent report, pending approval at its 80th Annual Assembly, which is being held these days in Argentina.
“The cases of journalists being attacked are countless. During the electoral period, attacks perpetrated by police forces and parapolice groups increased, instruments to keep a muzzle on critical voices in the face of claims of fraud and lack of transparency,” the letter says.
Likewise, the organization says that the government “continues to overshadow the few remaining vestiges of freedom of the press and expression,” which has turned journalism into “a high-risk profession” in the country, after authorities detained a dozen press workers in the months before and after the elections.
“The persecution, harassment and judicialization of journalists have been constant in reports and complaints made by the National Union of Press Workers (SNTP),” the report highlights.
7. Hamas confirmed the death of the commander of the Tel al Sultan battalion in Rafah
The Palestinian Islamist group Hamas confirmed this Friday, October 18, in a statement that the commander of the Tel al Sultan battalion in Rafah, Mahmoud Hamdan, also died in the same attack that claimed the life of the group’s top leader, Yahya Sinwar.
“We mourn (the death of) the martyr Commander Hamdan, head of the Tel al Sultan Battalion in Rafah, who agreed to martyrdom while confronting the occupation army in the neighborhood accompanied by the leader, the martyr Yahya Sinwar,” states a statement. statement from the Palestinian Islamist group.
The confirmation comes a few hours after Hamas also officially confirmed the death of Sinwar, whom it praised as a “martyred hero”, after Israel announced yesterday his death in a clash with Israeli soldiers in Rafah, southern Gaza Strip. , one day before.
The Israeli Army, for its part, assured that Hamdan died this Friday during a confrontation with Israeli troops, 200 meters from the place where Sinwar was killed.
In The Diary We present you a summary with the most important information of the day, which you should know at the national and international level.
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