From Patria Grande, another interesting look at the self-styled forces of “democratic civil society” in Venezuela, and what they’re doing to steer the country away from the “disastrous”, “Castro-communist” rule of Hugo Chávez Frías:
The editor of the weekly “Sixth Estate”, Leocenis García, admitted in his Twitter account that he maintains friendly relations with a chief of the prison mafia.
“Yes, I’m a friend of Wilmer Brizuela, the ‘pram’ [mafia leader] of Bolívar, and what’s the problem?” he wrote on his account, @LeocenisOficial.
[…]
Last Friday night, Mario Silva, the host of the VTV program La Hojilla, denounced a plan by the opposition to destabilize the country from within the prisons.
Silva said that a ferocious offensive is under way, orchestrated by the organization “Observatorio Venezolano de Prisiones”, which is directed by Humberto Prado, who is supported by the owners and editors of various private media, particularly the TV channel Globovisión, which is linked permanently to destabilization plans.
An inmate of the El Rodeo II prison, who has asked not to be identified, denounced last Sunday that the “human rights” groups identified with the opposition and politicians of the Venezuelan right have been tasked with giving orders to the “pranes”, inmates who command the mafias of the various penitentiaries of Venezuela, with an eye to generating chaos and blaming the national government for that situation.
Translation mine.
So, here’s an interesting situation. A “democratic civil society journalist” (note the quotation marks), who also styles himself a “former political prisoner”…
…is friends with a prison mob boss. Who, along with his cohorts just so happens to be linked to riots. That start, not by accident, just as the president happens to be out of country, recuperating from surgery to drain a pelvic abscess in Havana. Leaving the country, according to the ever-eager-to-pounce opposition, “without a president”. ¡Qué pura coincidencia!
There’s only one problem with this fiendishly clever destabilization plan of theirs, and that’s this:
The Popular Power Minister of the Interior and Justice, Tareck El Aissami, headed up the rescue of 36 prisoners in the penitentiary El Rodeo II.
A commando operation conducted by members of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) succeeded in freeing the inmates.
The inmates were transferred in armored cars to the 55th command post of the GNB. 11 were injured and received medical attention from the doctors and paramedics stationed there, so that they could later be transferred to medical centres nearby.
[…]
The inmates were under the control of the “pranes” [prison mafia bosses] known as “El Yoifre” and “El Oriente”, who are hostile to the authorities and refuse to give up their weapons.
El Aissami informed the media that some of the rescued, who were injured, had denounced those who had made attempts on the lives of those who had refused to follow them. He assured that the nine would be transferred to holding facilities where the appropriate security measures would be in place.
He also said that one of the violent leaders was among the rescued and was in the process of being identified.
[…]
“We will not allow inmates to control life inside the prisons. Much less with armed methods,” El Aissami said. He reiterated that the time for talks had run out, and once more urged those inmates who were armed to give up their weapons and allow all the hostages of Rodeo II to come out.
“We will not halt the crackdown at Rodeo II. There can be no firearms in any penitentiary.”
Translation mine.
In short: It’s already an Epic Fail.
Even with Chavecito temporarily absent (and recovering well in Havana), the government is still on its toes, and doing a fine job at quelling riots and rescuing the injured, with interior minister Tarek El Aissami hard at work as always, personally supervising the rescue operation:
More proof, in case we need it, that the oppos are so desperate that they actively resort to crime, that the Bolivarian government is effective in fighting it, and oh yeah, that it’s also the most humane government that Venezuela has ever had. Even “political” prisoners get a fair shake. How ’bout them apples?
Too bad for Leocenis García and all his little “political” mafia pals, in prison and out…eh?