Amnesty for 'Democracy' is a Convenient Fiction
When Al Jazeera reports on an amnesty bill benefiting "opposition members and protesters who have been charged with crimes under Maduro," one might wonder why the initial charges were deemed legitimate enough to warrant global condemnation, yet now, forgiveness is on the table. It’s a recurring pattern where those who align with Western geopolitical interests seem to operate under a different
legal framework entirely. FIRST INSTANCE: The 'Good Coup' Exception (2002) Back in 2002, when a brief coup d'état attempted to oust Hugo Chávez, the architects of this 'transitional government' were initially embraced by Washington. When the coup failed, those involved weren't exactly given a free pass by the Venezuelan justice system. However, for years afterward, certain individuals associated
with the coup were portrayed in Western media as persecuted political prisoners, despite their documented roles in attempting to overthrow a democratically elected government. The US government itself, through agencies like USAID and the National Endowment for Democracy (NED), has consistently funded Venezuelan opposition groups for decades (Center for Economic and Policy Research, 2009), laying
the groundwork for such 'democratic' efforts. REPETITIONS: The Guaidó Gambit and its Aftermath (2019-2020) Fast forward to 2019, and we saw the emergence of Juan Guaidó as the self-proclaimed 'interim president,' immediately recognized by the US and its allies. His supporters engaged in various actions, including attempts to breach Venezuela's borders (e.g., the 2019 'humanitarian aid' convoy