The surprise today was not that the Constitutional Hall of the Venezuelan Supreme Court rejected as inadmissible Henrique Capriles’ challenge to the election results in a one page decision. The surprise was that besides the legal travesty, the Court fined Capriles the maximum amount for insulting authority with the challenge and accusing the Court of being partial to the Government. The Court also asked the Prosecutor to have Capriles investigated for these insults.
Jeez, the ruling was worse and more biased than I could have ever expected and simply proves Capriles’ point. In fact, every ruling along the way, from allowing Maduro to take office for Chávez, to permit him to campaign as President, doing “cadenas” all the time, simply emphasizes the point.
But I guess in this so called Chavista/Madurista democracy, free speech is not allowed and you have to agree with everything the Government says or does, or you are being disrespectful and can thus be jailed.
Do I smell a jailed Capriles in our future?
The Devil's Excrement 
August 9, 2013 at 7:00 pm
It seems to me to be a terrible paradox confronting the opposition. Protests are met with repression, but simply waiting for Godot is going erode the economic health of those who support the opposition. My guess is that when people become desperate enough, they will either hit the streets and confront the repression, or like many of our friends, they will acquiesce and abandon the opposition for whatever spoils they can get.
August 9, 2013 at 9:02 am
Canadian crude oil through a proposed pipeline to the US Gulf Coast will compete with Venezuelan crude. That is a much larger long term threat to the Venezuelan economy than many imagine.
August 9, 2013 at 7:52 am
I had not, of course, it is a billion dollars at the official rate of exchange. All known news, but Maduro has kept the people that preside over those companies.
August 9, 2013 at 7:41 am
Have you seen this Miguel?
http://www.economist.com/news/americas/21583252-evidence-huge-rip-offs-heart-bolivarian-revolution-has-unleashed-political?fsrc=scn/tw_ec/the_billion_dollar_fraud
August 9, 2013 at 7:06 am
It is time for all good people to leave Venezuela. It is becoming like the Soviet Union, the regime will collapse of its own incompetence but this will take time. All those who value their life and freedom need to go elsewhere while there is still time.
August 9, 2013 at 12:01 am
The problem with the opposition is that was Capriles put in jail, the people will abandon him like Franklin Brito, or others who have sacrifice themselves for nothing. I am afraid that now Venezuela no longer needs leaders but heroes like Simon Bolivar. Otherwise we all see a formalization of the today de facto Cuban-Venezuelan federation. What a shame !!!
August 8, 2013 at 10:46 pm
If there is a strategy behind this, I would guess that it is to drive Capriles from Venezuela into exile elsewhere. There’s not all that much he can do outside the country, but more than he could do from inside prison with all of his assets confiscated.
August 8, 2013 at 6:18 pm
ILLEGITIMATE GOVERNMENT, YES! BUT, MAYBE THERE IS A SILVER LINING?
Public International law: The term ‘illegitimate debt’ is a more expansive concept. It can refer to a broad range of debt encompassing odious and illegal debt, as well as debt resulting from losing a war, debts to creditors who lent irresponsibly, and debt resulting from loans made for
ideological or political reasons. The definition of illegitimate debt also often includes: debt incurred by undemocratic means, without transparency or participation by civil society or representative branches of government; debt that cannot be serviced without
violating basic human rights; and debt incurred under predatory repayment terms, including situations where original interest rates
skyrocketed and compound interest made repayment impossible.(Definitions above can be found in: Joseph Hanlon. “Defining Illegitimate Debt and Linking Its Cancellation to Economic Justice.” Commissioned
by Norwegian Church Aid, 2002, p. 7-19. Latin America & Caribbean Jubilee 2000)
Many Global South based debt campaigning organizations have
a broad view of illegitimacy of global South debt. As the International People’s Tribunal on Debt concludes, “The External Debt of the
countries of the South, for having been accumulated outside of national and international legal frameworks and without consultation with society, for having favored elites almost exclusively to the detriment of the majority of the people, and for having hurt national sovereignty, is illegitimate, unjust and ethically, legally, and politically unsustainable.” (4 “Verdict of the International People’s Tribunal on Debt,” II World Social forum, Porto Alegre, Brazil, 1-2 february, 2002.
Available: http://jubileesouth.org/tribunal/index.htm.)
AND IT GOES ON AND ON!
August 8, 2013 at 1:36 pm
this is the Rebolucion repression is something very bad is like this Nicolas Maduro Thief website that explains why mature nicolas is a thief
August 8, 2013 at 1:31 pm
My God! They have NEVER taken resposibility for anything, and yet have maNAGED SO EASILY TO ALMOST, DESTROY THE COUNTRY!
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August 8, 2013 at 10:10 am
[…] Miguel Octavio: The surprise today was not that the Constitutional Hall of the Venezuelan Supreme Court rejected as inadmissible Henrique Capriles’ challenge to the election results in a one page decision. The surprise was that besides the legal travesty, the Court fined Capriles the maximum amount for insulting authority with the challenge and accusing the Court of being partial to the Government. The Court also asked the Prosecutor to have Capriles investigated for these insults. […]
August 8, 2013 at 9:44 am
How does he take his case to the people when just about every media outlet is controlled by the government..How does he reach them? I do agree however, that the illegitimate government of maduro will collapse very soon under its’ own weight. Every sector of society is now grinding to a halt under the harsh controlling conditions of the regime. Lack of money is ripping apart every program that Chavez started. They are so overextended that they can no longer govern or function. The whole model needs to be changed. a Constituyente is on the table as one legal way out of the mess of the last 14 years. And it may be the best thing for all of VNZA.
August 8, 2013 at 1:20 pm
Doesn’t Venezuela have access to youtube? I know the internet may be slow there, but it does exist. And, blocked messages can be repeated or mirrored.
August 9, 2013 at 2:08 am
Mick, it can be extremely slow, meaning having to wait over 15 minutes for certain not precisely long clips.
August 9, 2013 at 12:49 pm
I remember, way back in the old days, actually waiting for web pages to download. I still think it would be done.
August 8, 2013 at 8:23 am
Now is the time to bring the facts of the case to the people. Chavez had automatic approval of his decisions by a Chavista majority; Maduro does not have that privilege and must convince citizens that decisions his government makes are the best for the people. (Even hard-core for-life Chavistas can be grow doubts with convincing evidence of fraud.) Maduro’s downfall will be hastened.
A you tube video of a mock trial with lawyers presenting the case to 12 citizen jurors could be convincing to the people and harmful to Maduro. Roanld Reagan took his case to the people when needed. Capriles needs to do the same.
\justthinking
August 8, 2013 at 7:02 am
Imagine Capriles claiming the Supreme Court is biased!
You know, that same Supreme Court whose own Chief Justice, Aponte Aponte, said last year that he Executive met with him every Friday morning to tell him how to decide the cases on the docket!
That same Supreme Court which is on film chanting subguttural Chavez slogans!
That same Supreme Court which closed its eyes to the abusive prosecution of Afiuni, which allowed the “offence” of “spiritual corruption” to keep a judge in pretrial custody for thirty months!
August 8, 2013 at 1:09 am
If they jail Capriles , Chavismo will solidify the opposition against them. The government is falling of its own weight. The opposition just needs to be patient and if the government wants to help by aligning a fragmented opposition then by all means we should let them.
There are less and less Chavistas everyday and Maduro doesn’t have the money to recruit new ones.In the end, the economy is what will get maduro fired. Maybe not this year, but certainly in the next couple of years.
August 8, 2013 at 1:27 am
Unfortunately they already have the key posts – military, courts, money. if Zimbabwe is any indication, they can hold on to power for a long while yet, despite dismal popular support and a destroyed economy.
It would take a drop in oil prices to unseat Chavizmo. That or maybe an electoral defeat so severe their vote rigging measures would prove insufficient. The latter is very difficult indeed.
August 8, 2013 at 1:03 am
Such actions show the regime is getting increasingly paranoid and heavy-handed.
Ironically the best thing for the opposition may be to lay low for a while after the elections, so Chavistas devour each other. It’s a risky gamble though.
August 7, 2013 at 11:18 pm
Sounds like something out of the old Soviet Union or some other deranged tyranny. I hope the opposition learns a lesson from this, you cannot fight “Chavismo” in the courts or at the ballot box any more.
August 9, 2013 at 8:06 am
It’s not even the old Soviet Union–it’s happening right now.
Just saw a great documentary a few days ago on Netflix called “Putin’s Kiss,” and it’s about a government-run, Pro-Putin youth group called Nashi.
My God, it’s like Chavez and Maduro are taking everything right out of Putin’s playbook.