(Caracas, January 5, 2020) The Venezuelan Program of Education-Action on Human Rights (PROVEA) does not recognize the directive set by the National Assembly, which was established by Maduro’s dictatorship and sent in an unconstitutional manner on the 5th of January 2020. In the organization’s opinion, with this event, Maduro has completed his organized coup that began in January of 2019, when, after an openly fraudulent election process, he became the self-proclaimed president for a period of six years.

            In a notorious and communicational event, Nicolas Maduro’s regime imposed a directive on the country’s National Assembly, violating the constitution and the normative which the parliament stands by. During the session that was meant to mark the beginning of the parliamentary process for the year 2020, whose main objective was the election of the board of directors, The National Bolivarian Guard (GNB) took control of the precinct where the parliamentary hemicycle was to take place and prevented the entrance of the National Assembly’s president Juan Guaido and other representatives. Afterwards, through mediation by the military forces and without the necessary quorum to host the voting procedure or session in itself, a board was chosen in an irregular manner. Its members include Luis Parra as president, Franklin Duarte as first vice-president, José Gregorio Noriega as second vice-president, and Negal Morales as chamber secretary. This arbitrary action is the continuation of a series of actions against the only legitimate public power currently present in Venezuela and, hence, against the people’s will.

            Maduro and his elite have unleashed a policy based on persecution and harassment against the deputies chosen by the people in 2015. Since the moment the political opposition assumed the majority in parliament, the dictatorship has devoted itself to create obstacles and intervene in parliamentary procedure, as well as taking an aggressive stance by imprisoning deputies and forcing more than 20 others into exile.

            Article 25 of the constitution states that any act dictated under the pretense of public power that violates or undermines the rights guaranteed by the constitution automatically nullifies said act. Thus, the directive introduced today has no legitimacy nor legality.

            PROVEA continues to promote the necessity of a peaceful alternative, a constitutional and democratic solution to the country’s crisis. The arbitrary way the regime has acted today makes this alternative even harder to achieve and can potentially result in an outcome not predicted by the Carta Magna, which obstructs the work being done by international organizations such as the UN High Commission for Human Rights. Maduro must be held accountable for the way he has been directing the government, promoting violence and confrontation throughout the country rather than diplomacy.

            We request that the international community and the democratic institutions available worldwide, condemn this new assault against the Venezuelan institutionalization and ratify the need for a solution to the Venezuelan crisis that does not increase the people’s suffering, but rather contributes to the reinstatement of the democratic Venezuelan institutions and the validity of human rights.

            We ratify our compromise to fight for the restoration of democracy and the beginning of a reconstruction process for the country, which includes all sectors of national life.

The Venezuelan Program of Education-Action on Human Rights (PROVEA)