I am in the process of moving in to a new apartment. This means that I will not have steady Internet access until the evening of Thursday July 3.
As a result, you might notice a drop in the quality of daily updates. I apologize for the temporary disruption, and thank you for your understanding!
PROVEA, a Venezuelan NGO that works towards raising awareness of human rights issues, pointed out today that the Ley de Registro y Alistamiento para la Defensa Integral de la Nación (Law of Registry and Enlistment for the Integral Defense of the Nation) threatens to “militarize civil society” should it be approved.
The law, which seeks to create a national registry of all citizens eligible for military duty, would prohibit individuals from refusing service as conscientious objectors. It would also make it impossible to request civil duties (for example, working in an army office as staff instead of as a front line soldier) except in the most exceptional cases. Most obviously, PROVEA take issues with the fact that the law would force Venezuelans to sign up for what it calls “a martial list” in the first place.
Maturin Rocked by Protests
Violence erupted in Maturin today as demonstrators and security forces clashed in the early afternoon. A national guard truck was set ablaze on El Ejército Avenue in the city. This is the second night of protests, which began in response to the frequent power outage the city suffers from.
La Patilla has pictures of the fire, along with a picture of a flaming barricade, here.
In Venezuela 