[ad_1]
—You worried us. I thought I would find you dead.
These are the words spoken by Miguel*’s mother on the phone, minutes after Miguel* left the command of the Strategic and Tactical Operations Directorate (DAET) of the Bolivarian National Police.
The Criminal Forum reported that as of July 31, at least 429 people had been arrested in connection with demonstrations that have taken place in recent days.
Miguel was arrested during a protest in Caracas on July 29. He was one of many who took to the streets of Venezuela to reject the results announced by the National Electoral Council (CNE). No one believed the numbers given by the electoral body.
The electoral body declared Nicolás Maduro the winner with 51.2% of the votes, without publishing the results of the election classification. This result was rejected by opposition leaders and questioned by the international community. The Carter Center, an international observer invited by the CNE, assured that the Venezuelan elections cannot be considered democratic.
Same feeling
“I haven’t been able to buy a motorcycle, not even the shoes I wanted, and I work a lot with only one day off a week,” he lamented on Sunday, the day of the presidential election.
Miguel does not hide his fatigue due to the socio-economic situation he has to face every day. «On the 28th I went to vote for a change of government. Many people told me they were sure the opposition would win, so I was confident. «I stayed up late at home and when I heard the result on TV, the people in my alley were very upset.»
There were cries and screams in the neighborhood. In the distance, some chanted slogans in support of the ruling party. He turned off the TV. The messages on his phone and in his WhatsApp statuses reflected the same feeling: anger, frustration, helplessness.
(frasepzp1)
The next day I could hear almost nothing. Only one neighbor had music playing at his house, but other than that it seemed like January 1st in the area.
«It was like this until noon, when the cans came back. My contacts uploaded videos on WhatsApp of people protesting in various places, I didn’t know if it was real, but because of the noise of pots and pans in my house, I joined in.
Later, around 2:00 p.m., a cousin wrote to him: “Check YouTube so you can see the protests.” His thoughts returned to what Venezuela had gone through in 2017.
From silence to the noise of motorcycles and pots and pans
From his home, he watched how people left Petare and other places to protest. A friend knocked on his door.
——Let’s go to the center there by motorcycle.
He dressed quickly and went out to attend his first protest.
“It was like a movie, we were driving down the street on our motorcycles and found other bikers blowing their horns. These shops were closed and we were sharing addresses with other guys on motorcycles,” he recalls.
They reached El Silencio, between central and western Caracas. There were many people around the road to Katia and Miraflores.
“The pass was closed and the people there didn’t want to leave. “Some covered their faces and the rest of us stayed back to watch what was happening.”
Soon after, Miguel recalls, the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB) and police arrived, along with some government-affiliated motorcyclists dressed in black.
(frasepzp2)
One protester told them to leave the motorcycles nearby but to continue helping “because this is everyone’s fight.”
Miguel’s friend revved his motorcycle to make noise. He got out and tried to assemble something for the roadblock. The place remained like this until the evening.
“More police and buses arrived. Guards stood in riot gear and threw tear gas.”
“At one point, all the protesters started running,” he recalled. “They were shooting at them and throwing tear gas at them. He was so far away from his friend in the crowd that he didn’t realize he had lost sight of him.”
You have to pay so they don’t sue you
When I arrived at the scene, I already knew where it was. The command post he was taken to was located in an area where he traveled frequently.
“One of the officers looked at me and told me that I didn’t have the face of ‘Guarimbero’ but they caught me there, so I knew I was ‘in huge trouble’.”
He tried to defend himself and explained that he had not attacked anyone.
“He told me he was disruptive anyway. I asked him if he could call someone and he said yes, but only if he cooperated with them.
He was a little more precise, telling him: You have to “put down a mule”, that is, give something. He immediately threatened: If you don’t do it, they will prosecute you for terrorism and incitement to hatred.
«How much do I have to pay? As for the corduroy, I don’t have much money, ”he said.
The reward for freedom was $2,000 because the officer had “done a good job.”
“He also told me they wanted some burgers. “They lent me a mobile phone and I called my dad.”
The phone was on speaker, and he told his father everything. He asked how much time he would need to pay. It was a lot. “Deal with the burgers first,” they replied.
“I have to say, during that time, they didn’t hurt me. I was scared until my uncle came with food. “They let me eat burgers.”
The money had to be delivered to them by noon on Tuesday the 30th, which they did.
After being released from prison, Miguel felt relieved, but worried that they would come after him again. At that moment, he just wanted to rest, call his mother, and think about how to pay the $2,000.
***
*The referee’s real name has been changed to protect their identity
[ad_2]
Source link
