Venezuelan 'Political Prisoner' Released Just in Time for Election Narrative
📰 THE STORY: Al Jazeera reports the release of Rafael Tudares Bracho, son-in-law of Venezuelan opposition figure Edmundo Gonzalez, who had been arrested shortly before President Maduro's third inauguration. The release is presented as a significant development amidst Venezuela's heightened political tensions. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: This 'opposition figure' narrative
isn't new. In 2019, the U.S. government, under Trump, brazenly recognized Juan Guaidó as the 'interim president' of Venezuela despite him holding no democratic legitimacy, a blatant attempt to engineer regime change after the failed 2002 U.S.-backed coup against Hugo Chávez . Edmundo Gonzalez's position is simply the empire's latest gambit. Double Standard: Western media and governments decry
purported human rights abuses in Venezuela while ignoring—or actively participating in—far more egregious actions. The Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) 2019 report estimated that U.S. sanctions contributed to over 40,000 deaths in Venezuela between 2017 and 2018 alone by restricting access to medicine and food. This constitutes collective punishment, yet we see no similar 'outrage'
or calls for regime change when the U.S. allies like Saudi Arabia commit atrocities in Yemen, where tens of thousands of children have died from preventable causes . Follow the Money: The 'opposition' in Venezuela has been consistently propped up by U.S. government funding through organizations like the National Endowment for Democracy (NED) and USAID . These funds, often opaque, are channeled to