Venezuelan María Corina Machado Denounces that the Delcy Rodríguez Government ‘Intends to Prolong the Terror’

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado denounced on Saturday that the government of interim president Delcy Rodríguez “intends to prolong the terror,” after a court denied amnesty to Perkins Rocha, legal advisor to the largest anti-Chavista coalition and to the former deputy.  “Selectively denying amnesty is repression. The regime led by Delcy Rodríguez intends to prolong the terror to break the morale of those fighting for democracy and freedom in Venezuela, which are now so close. You know what? They won’t succeed,” Machado stated on social media. 

The opposition leader, who visited Chile this week to attend the inauguration of far-right politician José Antonio Kast, stated that Venezuela has decided to be free and that “much progress” has been made in this process.  “Today, each abuse by the regime does not paralyze us, but rather strengthens our conviction that this process is unstoppable. It is very exciting to see how Venezuelans inside and outside the country are recovering their voice and the spaces that have been taken from them every day,” she said.  Machado asserted that Rocha “is an exemplary citizen,” as well as “a brave man, an extraordinary father, and an excellent jurist.” 

“The regime kidnapped him for 17 months because of the power and precision of his words. For speaking and defending the truth. Today he remains under house arrest with an electronic ankle monitor as pictured above, and is being denied amnesty,” she said.  The Nobel laureate called on the international community to “remain vigilant, support the legitimate demands of the families and human rights organizations, and increase pressure,” denouncing that “the regime’s repressive practices continue.” 

“Perkins Rocha and all political prisoners must be completely free. Not released, not prosecuted. Free! The regime believes that through its selective ‘justice’ it demonstrates its power and control. We Venezuelans know that, in reality, they fear a nation that has decided to be free,” she asserted.  Rocha denounced this Friday that a court with jurisdiction over terrorism denied his request for amnesty, which he made last February, considering that his case is excluded from the Amnesty Law, approved by Parliament. 

The opponent considered that the judge had made a “serious error in interpretation regarding the spirit, content and scope” of the rule, and therefore rejected this ruling.  He also said that through his lawyer he will exercise the right to appeal as established in article 12 of the Amnesty Law.  On Thursday, Venezuelan lawyer Omar Mora Tosta said that the 15-day deadline to respond to the amnesty request for Rocha, who has been under house arrest since February 8, had expired.  Rocha was one of the strongest critics of the National Electoral Council (CNE), controlled by Chavismo, questioning this institution for proclaiming Nicolás Maduro as the winner in the 2024 presidential elections, without publishing the detailed results.

María Corina Machado is Coordinating her Return to Venezuela with her ‘Allies’, but has not Given a Date

Venezuelan opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate María Corina Machado pictured below, attended a press conference Thursday in Santiago, Chile. Machado said her return to Venezuela is part of her desire to “continue a struggle that has been civic and organized,” and indicated that she will do so “harmoniously and in coordination with her allies.  Machado said her return to Venezuela is part of her desire to “continue a struggle that has been civic and organized” and indicated that she will do so “in a harmonious and coordinated manner with her allies.” 

“They are chaos, they are violence; we are the guarantee of continuing in an orderly manner, with civic responsibility. Do not confuse civic responsibility with weakness,” he stressed before emphasizing that his objective is “to accompany Venezuelans in this struggle until the end.”  “Venezuelans have understood that this is a very important fight for the country… My return to Venezuela will be harmonious and coordinated with our allies ,” he declared without specifying a date and before insisting that he will first seek “the alignment of all vectors, of all those who want Venezuela to move forward with clear laws.”

Repsol to ‘Guarantee Gas Supply’ to the Venezuelan Government and Signs an Agreement

Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, with representatives from the Spanish company Repsol and the Italian company Eni.

The government of Venezuela’s interim president, Delcy Rodríguez, signed an agreement this Thursday to “guarantee the supply of gas” with the Spanish company Repsol and the Italian company Eni.  “I am very pleased to thank two European companies that stayed in Venezuela, that believed in Venezuela and that did not turn their backs on our people,” said the acting president in a broadcast on the state channel Venezolana de Televisión (VT). 

In this regard, she thanked the companies for remaining in Venezuela during the “toughest times” and highlighted that as a result of this work, an agreement was signed for the exploitation of Cardón IV, one of the largest gas fields in Latin America, which “currently has a production of 580 million cubic feet of gas per day,” according to the Spanish multinational’s website.

Maria Corina Machado in Chile. These YouTube Videos Below are in Spanish Only