标签： South America

CARACAS, Venezuela — Tensions surrounding Venezuela’s political prisoner crisis escalated Saturday as relatives of detained dissidents initiated a hunger strike outside Zona 7 prison facility. The protest coincides with ongoing legislative debates regarding a potential amnesty law that could secure the release of hundreds imprisoned during President Nicolás Maduro’s administration.

According to the Committee for the Freedom of Political Prisoners, ten family members are participating in the hunger strike, vowing to continue until all 33 political prisoners estimated to be held at Zona 7 are released. The civil society organization communicated this development through Instagram, highlighting the growing frustration among families who have maintained vigil outside the detention center since January 8th.

The demonstration follows Saturday’s emotional release of 17 prisoners from Zona 7, who experienced tearful reunions with their families. While hundreds of dissidents have been freed from other Venezuelan prisons in recent weeks, releases from this particular facility have remained notably limited despite government promises of significant prisoner releases following a recent U.S. raid.

Yessy Orozco, daughter of a former legislator arrested in November, publicly challenged National Assembly president Jorge Rodríguez to honor his commitment regarding prisoner releases. The appeal comes as Venezuela’s ruling party-controlled legislature debates unprecedented amnesty legislation that could liberate opposition members, activists, and human rights defenders detained for political reasons.

Thursday’s parliamentary session marked a significant departure from the government’s longstanding denial of political prisoners’ existence. Lawmakers approved portions of the measure but suspended the session to resolve contentious issues, including whether exiles avoiding detention qualify for amnesty. Deliberations are scheduled to resume next week.

Meanwhile, exiled opposition leader Maria Corina Machado addressed international policy analysts via video conference from the Munich Security Conference, advocating for democratic transition through elections. The Nobel Peace Prize laureate emphasized that such transition would be “orderly, peaceful” and beneficial for Venezuela, the region, and the United States, while acknowledging that timing depends on “political conditions.”

Machado dismissed predictions of chaos following potential governmental change, citing Venezuela’s “cohesive, united” civil society and claiming majority support from armed forces. Her position aligns with Trump administration officials, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who have expressed support for new elections without specifying a timeframe.

In a significant diplomatic shift, the United States has quietly resumed intelligence cooperation with Bolivia on counternarcotics operations, ending a nearly 20-year hiatus that began when leftist President Evo Morales expelled American anti-drug agents from the cocaine-producing nation.

Bolivian Vice Minister of Social Defense and Controlled Substances Ernesto Justiniano confirmed to The Associated Press that while formal agreements are still being finalized, Washington has already begun sharing intelligence on transnational criminal networks with Bolivian law enforcement. The cooperation includes personnel vetting procedures and specialized training programs for narcotics officers.

“We are already receiving support in various ways, in the training and integrity analysis of personnel,” Justiniano stated. “There is a lot of intelligence, resources, they can provide us, and we need it.”

This intelligence collaboration marks a dramatic reversal in bilateral relations under Bolivia’s conservative President Rodrigo Paz, who took office last November. The centrist leader has moved to restore full diplomatic ties with Washington after nearly two decades during which Morales’ Movement Toward Socialism party cultivated alliances with China, Russia, Cuba and Iran while distancing itself from Western nations.

The renewed partnership carries historical sensitivities dating to the 1990s, when DEA-backed operations resulted in deadly clashes with coca farmers in the Chapare region. Justiniano acknowledged these tensions, particularly in the coca-growing jungles near Cochabamba where resentment lingers over Washington’s previously militarized approach.

“In Bolivia, when it comes to language, you have to be very careful,” Justiniano noted, explicitly ruling out the establishment of U.S. military bases. However, he confirmed that Bolivia “would welcome” DEA participation in joint interdiction operations.

The agency’s return represents a substantial foreign policy achievement for the U.S. in Latin America, according to regional experts. Retired U.S. diplomat Daniel Foote, who served in Bolivia during the cocaine heyday, emphasized the strategic importance: “We have little idea what’s been going on these past 20 years, so having the DEA back there can open a lot of other doors for the U.S.”

Meanwhile, former President Morales remains in hiding in the Chapare region, evading an arrest warrant linked to allegations he denies. His disappearance from public view coincides with increased U.S. pressure on allied leftist leaders in the region, including the recent seizure of former Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro.

As officials finalize the details of the DEA’s formal return, questions remain about how the agency’s approach will differ from its controversial 1990s operations. Former U.S. Ambassador Robert Gelbard expressed hope that the renewed cooperation would avoid “the sort of aggressive approach we followed in the 1990s,” even as coca growers’ leaders vow to resist any perceived foreign intervention.

President Donald Trump traveled to Fort Bragg, North Carolina on Friday to commend special operations forces involved in the dramatic extraction of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro during a New Year’s operation. The mission resulted in Maduro facing U.S. smuggling charges, marking a significant escalation in American intervention in South American affairs.

Accompanied by First Lady Melania Trump, the presidential visit to one of the world’s largest military installations by population served dual purposes: recognizing military achievements while engaging with service families. The trip occurs amid increased presidential travel to electorally significant states ahead of November’s midterm congressional elections.

The administration has subsequently advocated for extensive oversight of Venezuela’s oil industry following Maduro’s removal. In continuation of this foreign policy approach, Trump plans to host Latin American leaders in Florida next month, focusing on countering Chinese influence throughout the region.

This strategic gathering on March 7 will provide a platform to advance what the president has termed the “Donroe Doctrine”—an assertive foreign policy framework invoking the Monroe Doctrine’s principle of American hemispheric dominance while incorporating Trump’s distinctive approach to international relations.

The visit marks Trump’s second appearance at Fort Bragg within a year, following a June event commemorating the U.S. Army’s 250th anniversary that was overshadowed by controversial partisan remarks. The administration has recently deployed National Guard units to multiple domestic locations including Washington and Memphis as part of broader immigration enforcement initiatives.

A senior U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration supervisor stationed in the Dominican Republic has been taken into custody amid a sweeping investigation into misconduct within a confidential informant visa program. The arrest of Melitón Cordero, confirmed by multiple officials speaking anonymously to The Associated Press, coincides with the Trump administration’s abrupt closure of the DEA’s Caribbean anti-narcotics operations.

The investigation, spearheaded by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, centers on alleged abuses of a program that permits foreign nationals with criminal associations to enter the United States as confidential sources. U.S. Ambassador Leah F. Campos announced the office’s suspension without initial elaboration, but later declared on social media platform X that she would not tolerate ‘even the perception of corruption,’ condemning the acts as a ‘disgusting and disgraceful violation of public trust.’

Dominican Foreign Affairs Minister Roberto Álvarez clarified that the closure was unrelated to his government but stemmed from an internal U.S. probe. The development strikes a significant blow to bilateral security cooperation, given the Dominican Republic’s critical role as a narcotics transit zone. The partnership had recently strengthened, with President Luis Abinader authorizing U.S. operations within restricted airport areas to combat drug trafficking in November.

The case echoes longstanding concerns about the informant visa program. A 2019 Justice Department inspector general report revealed severe management failures, noting that law enforcement had lost track of approximately 1,000 sponsored individuals, creating potential public safety and national security vulnerabilities due to their criminal connections.