Remembering Venezuela's fallen young democrats and the continuing struggle for freedom

"Today more than ever the fight of Robert Redman, Bassil Da Costa and Juancho Montoya continues" - Ana Karina García, February 12, 2017

Ana Karina García with other student protesters on February 12, 2017

Today Ana Karina García, the Voluntad Popular's national youth leader called for Venezuelans to assemble on February 18th and shout with one voice: "No more Dictatorship" and that young Venezuelans on Youth day remained on the street to remember the struggle initiated three years ago. For a times these youth closed down a highway to commemorate the 203rd anniversary of the Battle of the victory and to remember those fallen on February 12, 2014.

Robert Redman and Bassil Alejandro Dacosta

Three years ago today nonviolent student protesters Bassil Da Costa and Robert Redman were gunned down on February 12, 2014, the Youth Day in Venezuela, while engaged in nonviolent street protests against the government of Nicolas Maduro. Robert Redman was shot and killed hours after he had carried Bassil who had also been shot and killed earlier that same day and tweeted about it. 

"Today I was hit with a rock in the back, a helmet in my nose. I swallowed tear-gas, Carried the kid who died, and what did you do?" - Robert Redman, age 28 over twitter on February 12, 2014  

"Gentlemen, he who is here will go out tomorrow to find a better future." - Bassil Alejandro Dacosta, age 24 , over Facebook on February 11, 2014.

Last year the Venezuelan human rights organization Foro Penal published and distributed the above image with the names and images of young Venezuelans murdered during the 2014 anti-government protests along with their first names which states: "It is ironic to celebrate the Day of the Youth in Venezuela when her youth are in prison, exiled or in a tomb."  

Tonight Leopoldo Lopez still unjustly imprisoned tweeted about his 2014 arrest:

"Three years ago, faced with the infamous capture order against my person, I decided to stay and face this dictatorship. I would do it a thousand times over!"

Leopoldo also remembered the youth killed on February 12, 2014 and their grieving families over twitter:

A big hug to Bassil's mother, Robert's father and Juancho's family. All victims of the violence of this dictatorship.

Public pressure and international scrutiny led to the killer of Bassil Da Costa being brought to justice his name is José Ramón Perdomo Camacho, a state security agent of the Maduro regime, who was sentenced to 29 years in prison on December 1, 2016.

Venezuela is no longer a free country but there are courageous Venezuelans struggling to free their homeland.

March of the Youth Against Impunity on #12M at 10:00am in Caracas

"Today I was hit with a rock in the back, a helmet in my nose. I swallowed tear-gas, Carried the kid who died, and what did you do?" - Robert Redman, age 31 over twitter on February 12, 2014 shortly before he was shot and killed.

Eight of the 21 victims of Maduro over the past month

 March 12, 2014 marks one month since the Maduro regime began shooting students in the head who dared to nonviolently protest the lack of security, food shortages, and long lines for basic necessities in Venezuela. Over the past month 23 have been killed in the protests, hundreds injured and more than a thousand detained.  Many youths have also been tortured and there is one documented case of a young detainee anally raped with an assault rifle.

Students marching in Tachir on March 12, 2014

 The students are calling for the Maduro regime to free all the detained students, end the criminalization of nonviolent protest, stop the torture and human rights violations, disarm the paramilitary groups, end the censorship of mass media and re-legitimize and renovate public powers.

The student movement has called for a March of the Youth Against Impunity at 10:00am on March 12, 2014 and the gathering point is Ciudad Banesco (Colinas de Bello Monte) from there the students will march to the office of the Government's Ombudsman otherwise known as "The People's Defender" who on March 8, 2014 tried to downplay the torture of students.

Leopoldo López Mendoza after 21 days in prison sent the following messages over twitter beginning at 9pm Caracas time on March 11, 2014 backing the march and calling for the resignation of the Ombudsman:

Tomorrow the 12th marks one month since the awakening of a people. That Youth day we marched in cities across the country in peace.

One month ago Nicolas Maduro and his regime finished taking off their mask and sent functionaries to assassinate Venezuelans.

Tomorrow, that people that calls for change will continue in the streets, rejecting a dictatorship oppressing each day more Venezuelans.

Tomorrow, lets all demand the resignation of the dictatorship's Ombudsman. The government murders, represses, tortures and she justifies it.

Her utter dependence and servility to the dictatorship keep her more focused on defending her post than the rights of Venezuelans.

All to march in peace, wearing white to the Ombudsman. Let us remain in the streets for our rights. #HeWhoTiresLoses 

Strength, Strength Venezuela. Strength and Faith Let us not surrender. I will not. #WhoTiresLoses God bless you all!

 Need some background information on whats been happening in Venezuela over the past month? Then visit here. Below images from the march today.

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Silent Vigil for Justice on Brothers to the Rescue Shootdown Anniversary for victims in Cuba and Venezuela

"Nonviolence is not an instrument of convenience, but a way of living in which one has to believe." - Mario Manuel de la Peña , murdered on February 24, 1996
 
"God's time is perfect but if we don't go out into the streets, the time of Maduro will be ETERNAL" - Génesis Carmona ( written on the poster she carried the day she was shot in the head by a Maduro government agent.), murdered on February 18, 2014
 

Silent Vigil at FIU on February 24, 2014

 Today the families and friends of Armando, Carlos, Mario and Pablo, the four men blown out of the sky while engaged in a search and rescue for rafters in the Florida Straits by air-to-air missile launched by a Cuban MiG, gathered as they have for the past 18 years in a silent vigil to mark the time when each plane was shot down: 3:21pm and 3:27pm on February 24, 1996.

As the years have passed the vigil has come to have added meaning, in 2010 on February 23 after years of torture and humiliation, prisoner of conscience Orlando Zapata Tamayo, denied water on and off for 18 days died while on a hunger strike. The next day when the vigil was held prayers were included for this brave human rights defenders.

Venezuelan woman: "I'm tired of being 'at least alive'"

Now, after two weeks of Venezuelan students shot in the head, run over, and tortured for nonviolently standing up and protesting for democracy in Venezuela they were also in our thoughts today. Génesis, Bassil, Roberto, José Ernesto and the other eight victims we know about and the many more that we don't know about are in our thoughts and prayers. Large numbers of Venezuelan youths have been disappeared since February 12, 2014.

Free Cubans and Venezuelans are joined together in resistance to the Castro and Maduro monstrosity that is emerging rapidly into existence and is known as Cubazuela. Venezuela is being merged into the Cuban totalitarian state where freedom is non-existent and all is fear, humiliation, shame, and terror.

Jorge Planas over Facebook has described the situation with chilling candor:

In Venezuela, the murderous regime, attacks churches and priests, murders women, students and men, more than 500 tortured, there are disappeared, and who appear, do so without life. This is not a myth as Dalmacio del Negro would say, this is the struggle of good against evil. I appreciate all your support and sharing this with others. 

It is is this reality that has led Venezuelan youths into the streets and 22 year old beauty queen Génesis Carmona to hold up a poster that said "God's time is perfect but if we don't go out into the streets, the time of Maduro will be ETERNAL" and for her sister at her funeral to say that she will continue. 

Last photo of Génesis Carmona (On the right)

 This is not a suicidal impulse born of grief but the lesser of two evils. As the wife of a Cuban pastor, Yoaxis Marcheco, in the island put it:"Better to risk your life then to live dying everyday as Cubans living inside Cuba do. Please show your solidarity with the peoples of Venezuela and Cuba in their struggle for freedom.

Flier distributed at FIU today for the Vigil