Venezuela’s authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro has been sleeping in different places and changing his phone number to avoid being targeted by a potential U.S. precision strike, according to a new report.
The New York Times detailed that Maduro has also leaned on Cuba as the Trump administration escalates its pressure campaign against his regime, which recently included a warning from the U.S. president to relinquish power or risk being forcefully.
The outlet added that Maduro has also expanded the role of Cuban bodyguards in his security detailed and added more counterintelligence officers from the country to the Venezuelan military, considering that Havana has a vested interest in keeping Maduro in power given the countries’ tight relations.
Another report by CNN noted that the regime has also ramped up repression over the past weeks. According to human rights group Provea, 54 people were detained in October, the highest number since tensions with the Trump administration began in the region. Many of them have ties with opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado.
Provea coordinator Marino Alvarado told the outlet that the detentions are a “policy designed to instill fear among Venezuelans.” “Now the goal isn’t to fill prisons; it’s to neutralize organizing power by removing voices that can mobilize people,” he added.
Another NGO, Vente Venezuela, added that there has been one arbitrary detention every 32 hours this year, with 232 cases so far this year. However, the figure was higher last year, when the figure clocked in at 2,500.
In another passage of the piece, CNN noted that reports of torture, isolation and inhumane conditions in detention centers are widespread.
Surveillance is also increasing. A report from Reuters noted that intelligence officers are keeping tabs on family members of people killed at sea by U.S. strikes against alleged drug vessels.
Citing people affected, Reuters noted that Bolivarian National Intelligence Service agents told them not to post about their loved ones’ deaths on social media. The bodies have not been retrieved and families have not been able to hold funerals for them.
They added that they are not aware about any investigations related to the killings. Washington has not released details about the people targeted either.
Residents of the town of Guiria said the number of security personnel from different agencies has increased since mid-September, when strikes against the vessels increased.
“They pass through the same areas many times, at all hours. Before, they weren’t so persistent, now they’re everywhere all the time,” a community leader told the outlet.
Another town resident said patrols include civilians loyal to the Maduro regime, known as “collectives,” or colectivos. “They’re all organized by the government – civilians and police go together supervising the streets,” the person said.
Originally published on Latin Times
