economic crisis. Venezuelans are struggling to survive
in a country with escalating criminal and political
violence, and with the world’s highest inflation rate
expected to reach 1,600 percent according to the In-
ternational Monetary Fund. It is almost impossible to
find needed medicine and basic food items. People are
search ing in trash cans for food. Consequently, chil-
dren are suffering from malnutrition and patients are
dying in contaminated hospitals. The humanitarian
crisis in unsustainable, as Venezuelans are going hun-
gry with many dying!
For the last four months, hundreds of thousands of
people have taken to the streets to protest against
Maduro’s proposed illegal Constitutional Assembly,
corruption, crime, violation of human rights, and to
demand justice, freedom, fair elections, and Maduro’s
resignation. The dictator’s forces, ‘colectivos’ (armed
men on motorcycles), National Guard and local police
confronted the unarmed citizens with brutal repres-
sion and violence using fire-arms and tear gas which
has resulted in more than 120-people killed, over
4,000 wounded, and 5,051 people arrested, 1,383 of
which remain behind bars.
The Venezuelan people expected the Venezuelan
armed forces to act as defenders of the nation’s consti-
tutional order and to intervene to restore the rule of
by Cristal Montañéz
Executive Director
Hashoo Foundation USA
iF Magazine | www.iFMagazine.net
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