Por Luis Manuel Aguana
The
assassination of Oscar Pérez by a combined force of members of the regime and a
paramilitary group that operates in the parish "23 de Enero", draws
the whole world the real picture of the situation of violence to which he is
subject. Venezuelan
people. The declarations of the main spokesmen of the regime confirm something
that we already knew: regardless of human rights, regardless of any condition,
whether you surrender or not, any act that the dictatorship considers as an
aggression to its stability will be answered by the death. Oscar Pérez and his
group became last Monday the 15th the proof of this.
The case
of Oscar Pérez has not yet been evaluated in its just dimension, not only
because of its implications for the regime for the violation of the human
rights of Venezuelans who were massacred in the presence of practically the
entire world through social networks, but rather its transcendence in current
politics, military reactions, as well as in the reaffirmation of the outlaw
character of the State led by Nicolás Maduro. I think the regime has dismissed
the implications of this vile murder, dispatching it as any of the ones that it
has committed since 2002, this being very different.
To the
already long list of denunciations for crimes against humanity that have taken
place in the International Criminal Court, another one of extreme gravity will
now be added: War Crimes against the main persons responsible for the regime
who ordered and executed this operation. According to the Rome Statute Article
8, War Crimes,"2b-vi) Causing death or injury to an enemy who has laid down his
arms or who, having no means of defense, has surrendered at will.".
It was
evident to everyone that on Monday, January 15, 2018, Oscar Perez and his group
laid down their arms and were waiting for journalists and prosecutors of the
Public Prosecutor's Office, when a group of irregulars subsequently identified
as paramilitaries from an armed group of “23 de Enero” identified with the
regime broke into the scene, resulting in the death of Oscar Perez and his
companions, in circumstances that have not yet been clarified by the
authorities.
This
incursion is inexplicable. It is not understood why an operative carried out by
a special GNB command, the FAES, is overtaken by an armed collective with clear
extermination intentions at the site of the events, overturning the surrender
procedure of those who had surrendered, confirming Pérez's own words in his
video that the regime had allegedly given orders for his death. This is very serious.
To finish aggravating the matter, Freddy Bernal, Minister of Urban Agriculture,
confirms the presence of these irregulars on the site of the operation against
Oscar Pérez (see in
Spanish in http://www.elimpulso.com/noticias/nacionales/freddy-bernal-confirma-intervencion-colectivos-operativo-oscar-perez)
The Minister
of Defense has to explain a lot to the Venezuelans because it was his officials
who were in charge of this operation, where they were killed not only Pérez and
his group, but also armed civilians of a collective that did not have to be
there, and explain the whereabouts of others who were mentioned by Oscar Pérez
in his video -women and children- and were the reason why they decided to
surrender without confronting the contingent of the GNB that was besieging them
at El Junquito.
What happened to those people who have not been mentioned? Why it was demolished the house where the incident occurred,
preventing future investigations? Why the Minister of Urban Agriculture
-which functionally has nothing to do with that- justifies the presence of
armed groups in that operation? Why is the government trying to cremate Perez's
body less than 24 hours after his death, as he was informed, and does not
deliver the body to his family properly? (http://www.el-nacional.com/noticias/sucesos/esposa-oscar-perez-exige-que-cremen-cadaver_219075).
In a personal painful experience I know the same authorities prevent the
cremation of a person if his death has occurred by accident, homicide or any
other unnatural circumstance, even when an autopsy has been performed.
Many
questions point to a scandalous open and threatening message from the regime to
society as a whole, which proves everything we have seen on the streets when
they launch collectives to attack the marches, but at the same time
demonstrates their surprising weakness and contradictions.
Will the
military now and in the future allow the superiority of irregular armed
elements and criminals in their operations? Who's really in charge of the
Ministry of Defence? If Maduro really ordered Oscar Perez to have his life
preserved, who gave the counter-order over the President? And if that happened,
who really has the power to officially dispose of someone's life over
presidential authority, without this being a penalty established in Venezuela?
On the other
hand, it will be very interesting to observe the reaction of the collectives to
this fact. At the hands of who died the boss of Tres Raíces collective? In the
exchange with Pérez's group, or had he already died when it happened and that
death was then at the hands of the GNB? It would be very important to know the
truth, but now it will be little less than impossible because the authorities
are clearly very interested in disappearing the evidence.
Will these
groups, after seeing this result, be interested in supporting the regime in the
future or will they seek revenge for a possible betrayal? Both protagonists
really know what happened there and from that more facts will originate that
will negatively affect the regime, whatever these may be.
But there is
one aspect of all this tragedy that needs to be highlighted. Oscar Pérez
attempted a path he considered right as a citizen invested with authority to
restore the constitutional order violated by Maduro's regime in Venezuela,
according to Article 333 of the Constitution. He was a trained science police
officer and used his knowledge to enforce the Constitution. Each of us has that
duty under Article 333 of the Constitution and he did, as few officials have
done. He took the Constitution very seriously and died for it.
However, we
have seen that those who control the Republic's weapons - military and police -
have not done the same thing that Oscar Perez did until now, so it is not
difficult to suppose that until this happens in a decisive way, it is very
difficult to see positive results in the recovery of democracy and freedom
through weapons. Perhaps Pérez with that example tried to add those armed wills
without success, leaving a bitter taste of hopelessness in many Venezuelans who
genuinely believe that this path may still be possible.
Without
disregarding the fact that at some point those officials that Pérez tried to
add their example to the cause of democracy, take that extraordinary step of
courage and love for Venezuela, to the point of giving their lives for that
dream of a country in freedom, unarmed civil society has no alternative but to
continue working for a non-violent, peaceful, constitutional, democratic and
electoral solution to this crisis.
And just as we respect and do not disregard that others take the path
chosen by Oscar Pérez and his officials, the Venezuelan people should respect
and not dismiss a solution that implies the direct and sovereign participation
of the Venezuelan people to resolve the crisis, without killing us all in the
process. We are sure that this is possible, as well as that Oscar Pérez and his
group, by defending with their lives the women and children who accompanied
them on the El Junquito site, would agree with a solution that protects the
population, because that is the spirit of the heroes who, like them, have
written with their blood the history of Venezuela....
Caracas,
January 18, 2018
Email: luismanuel.aguana@gmail.com
Twitter:@laguana
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