Venezuela is experiencing some major unrest right now, and renegade journalists are rushing to get to the truth of the matter. What is apparently a student protest against a government that they claim has no oversight on overspending and providing goods to people, has turned into a so-called battle against citizens (more background on Al Jazeera). So far, major publications have pretty basic posts up outlining the death toll and violence, and some have delved into what exactly spurred protests- dire economic situations that have led to a scarcity in goods and food (to be succinct).

About 5 years ago, I wrote the accounts of a delegation of labor union reps in Honduras to observe a ballot procedure containing a referendum to see if voters wanted a constitutional convention for the Sacramento Press. Hours after they met with President Zelaya, there was a coup. Zelaya favored democratic processes and echoing the voices of the poor working class. There was strong military presence, protests in the streets, and on. At the time of writing, the short blurbs in the NYTimes, BBC, etc. mentioned nothing of a coup, and were more aligned with the miliary’s framing of Zelaya as a dictator. Nobody else was talking to the delegates about first hand accounts. It’s important to remember how the media is framing these events- here’s a transcript and Democracy Now interview that shares alternative facts.

It’s not unusual seeing systems go through great efforts to silence the voices rising up in question to authority- who is legitimately in question is yet to be fully determined (Is it a coup or an uprising?).

Today, Venezuelan voices demand to be heard in the face of blocked channels of communication with the government and between the citizens themselves through the shutting down of communication channels directly feeding into citizens’ homes. As of now, the CNN International crew was allegedly robbed at gunpoint, and the media blackout is in effect. The unfortunate reality of the violent response toward Venezuelans speaking up is both grotesquely physical, and now digital.

Back in 2012, twitter user @orvtech wrote an article about social media during the election, and how the current president’s twitter following was mostly bots. He also pointed out that there should be caution in regional elections for malware as many people (particularly associated with the opposition) faced unresolved domains and DDoS attacks (an attempt to make a network resource unavailable to the intended user). In both Venezuela and Ukraine, walkie-talkie smart phone app, Zello, downloads have skyrocketed (to number 1 in Ukraine) and has subsequently been blocked in Venezuela. As of an hour ago, the company was actively working around the blocks to get people back online. @Ovrtech confirms people are currently able to use proxies to get around the blocks on social media, and has an online tutorial on how to remain private on the internet.

This has been years brewing, and though the flow of information can’t be FULLY trusted, we’re keeping an eye and reaching out to contacts for some information from the ground. Generally, the sentiment is more aligned with a hope for priorities syncing with the long-term sustenance of Venezuelans to provide goods with proper oversight on shortages and overspending.

Our strength to those struggling all over the world right now, may we find peace and compassion soon.

Twitter handles we’re following:
@Executive GC (headline photo cred)
@Nic0tent0
@Runrunes
@Fbajak