Venezuela 'Compliance' a Fig Leaf for US Coercion
📰 THE STORY: Bloomberg reports that Venezuela has freed at least 80 more political prisoners, citing a Caracas-based human rights group, framing it as a move to comply with US demands and potentially ease sanctions. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: This 'demand' for prisoner releases is always presented in a vacuum. It ignores the 2002 US-backed coup attempt against former
President Hugo Chávez, a clear precedent for regime change operations that inform current Venezuelan policies. More recently, in 2019, the US installed Juan Guaidó as a puppet 'interim president,' funneling millions in aid to his parallel government, which ultimately dissipated in corruption. These prisoners are often individuals linked to such destabilization efforts, not benign dissenters.
Double Standard: The West champions these releases as steps towards 'democracy' while simultaneously maintaining brutal sanctions that starve the Venezuelan people. Meanwhile, allies like Egypt receive $1.3 billion annually from the US despite holding tens of thousands of political prisoners and closing the Rafah border to Gazans. The US doesn't 'demand' releases from its strategic partners; it
rewards their repression. Follow the Money: The 'leverage' the US holds over Venezuela is directly tied to the freezing of billions in Venezuelan assets overseas and the oil sanctions imposed since 2017. These sanctions, under both Trump and Biden administrations, have devastated Venezuela's economy, leading to a 75% contraction by 2019. The release of prisoners becomes a transactional step to