Once again, the Chavista tyranny of Nicolás Maduro has exposed its criminal nature: that of the regime and its minions.
They recently physically attacked legislators of the National Assembly of Venezuela. They attacked journalists. They destroyed their equipment. These developments represent an attack on society itself. It is an event that recalls, of course to a lesser degree, the assaults on the National Assembly last year, when the dictatorship left several legislators bloodied and at the point of death.
On Tuesday of this week, legislators convened to discuss the embargo on PDVSA by oil company ConocoPhillis and the “political event to be held on May 20.” Up until a legislative recess, the debate did not have media coverage, because a detachment of the Bolivarian National Guard of the Assembly, commanded by Colonel Bladimir Lugo, who at the end of June of last year pushed and screamed at the former president of the Parliament, Julio Borges, prevented the entry of journalists to the site.
During the pause Popular Will party legislator Winston Flores went to the chamber’s entry to mediate in favor of allowing media coverage of the session.
Mientras la sesión plenaria de este martes se mantiene en receso, una comisión de diputados en las afueras del Palacio Legislativo trata de negociar el ingreso de los medios de comunicación al Hemiciclo de Sesiones para que le den cobertura a la actividad parlamentaria.
— Asamblea Nacional (@AsambleaVE) May 15, 2018
“Legislator Winston Flores denounced that the commander of the GNB detachment of the Federal Legislative Palace, Colonel Lugo, physically assaulted him when he was trying to negotiate the entry of the press into the Assembly,” the National Assembly account reads.
La comisión designada por la directiva de la AN, para ingresar a los medios de comunicación, logró el acceso de un grupo de periodistas. Sin embargo, otro tanto no lo logró el acceso al Palacio Federal Legislativo.
— Asamblea Nacional (@AsambleaVE) May 15, 2018
Colonel Lugo and the officers of the National Guard began to attack, not only Flores, but the rest of the legislators present, the journalists, and their teams. Additionally various state paramilitary forces joined in on the melee, attacking and threatening several members of the press.
https://twitter.com/sntpvenezuela/status/996453241377509379
Otro video donde se evidencia la violencia del Coronel Bladimir Lugo contra el camarógrafo de Venevisión José Rivas. ¿De que lado está la agresión? pic.twitter.com/b5ekjv8ufe
— Asamblea Nacional (@AsambleaVE) May 15, 2018
“I was going in because some legislators told me to accompany them. Then I went in with them, but the National Guard did not let us pass. As I was walking in, Colonel Lugo grabbed my camera, and during the struggle, he threw it against the ground. With malicious intent,” says the Venevision cameraman, José Rivas, who was attacked while trying to protect his equipment.
Diputados salen a buscar a la prensa fuera de la AN. El resultado: una trifulca pic.twitter.com/cmfv7J1c65
— Gabriela Gonzalez (@GabyGabyGG) May 15, 2018
GNB ataca a diputados y a periodistas. Destruyen equipos y causan traumatismos a José Rivas, camarógrafo de @Venevision #TVVNoticias por: https://t.co/kwC8gtPMFs pic.twitter.com/E4MwyR2y3z
— VIVOplay (@vivoplaynet) May 15, 2018
It was an exhibition of the barbarism that has come to characterize the Maduro regime, which has already declared war on civil society. As reported by the National Union of Press Workers, this is the sixth time that the National Guard detachment has intended to illegally prevent media coverage of a legislative session.
“Here we are in today’s session. Unfortunately, they did not let the media enter. Here is one of the Venevision cameramen, who was hit. This is unfair and totally illegal,” said Avanzada Progresista legislator Richard Blanco.
Última Hora…Que vea el mundo entero como grupos armados atropellan e impiden trabajo de parlamentarios y periodistas en Asamblea Nacional. Eso sólo ocurre bajo dictaduras. pic.twitter.com/OnQ0PDktl6
— Antonio Ledezma (@alcaldeledezma) May 15, 2018
Finally, the legislators warned that, in light of the disturbance, Colonel Bladimir Lugo intends to denounce the legislators and journalists “before the prosecutor’s office for physical violence against him and officials of the Bolivarian National Guard.”
Mere days before Venezuela’s imminent electoral fraud, the regime of Nicolás Maduro has once again shown its true nature. The aggressions against the political opposition and the press, which it intends to suppress, reaffirm that the elections of May 20 will be nothing but a scam.