Juventud Sandinista esta de Pie!
Political Prisoner Alex Saab
Message from Camilla Saab, wife of the Venezuelan diplomat Alex Saab kidnapped and imprisoned by the United States for avoiding the sanctions of the United States against the Venezuelan people
Nicaragua
COHA (John Perry): Nicaragua celebrates 43 years of revolution: a clash between reality and media misrepresentation July 19th is a day of celebration in Nicaragua: the anniversary of the overthrow of the Somoza dictatorship. But the international media will have it penciled in their diaries for another reason: it’s yet another opportunity to pour scorn on Nicaragua’s Sandinista government. We’ll hear again about how the government “clamps down on dissent,” about its “political prisoners,” its recent “pantomime election,” its “damaging crackdown on civil society” and much more. All of these accusations have been answered but the media will continue to shut out any evidence that conflicts with the consensus narrative about Nicaragua, that its president, Daniel Ortega, has “crushed the Nicaraguan dream.”
Kawsachun News (Latin America Review): Nicaragua’s strategic cooperation with Russia, China, and Iran with Laureano Ortega Murillo
National Network on Cuba: A Further listing of US Resolutions against the Blockade of Cuba U.S. City Councils, County Boards, State Legislatures, School Boards, Labor Councils, Unions, Workers Organizations, and other organizations have passed 55 resolutions which have addressed: Supporting ending the U.S. embargo/blockade on Cuba, and Saving Lives through scientific collaboration with Cuba regarding the Covid-19 pandemic. Some levels of these governmental units have passed two resolutions regarding both Ending the Embargo and Saving Lives. Brookline, MA, Boston are the latest to pass resolutions opposing the blockade of Cuba.
Chicago ALBA Solidarity: Ana Belén Montes, the Puerto Rican heroine imprisoned for 21 years in the US “Your Honor, I got involved in the activity that has brought me before you because I obeyed my conscience more than obeying the law. I consider that the policy of our government towards Cuba is cruel and unjust, deeply unfriendly; I considered myself morally obligated to help the island defend itself from our efforts to impose our values and our political system on it. We have displayed intolerance and contempt for Cuba for four decades. We have never respected Cuba’s right to define its own destiny, its own ideals of equality and justice. I do not understand how we continue to try to dictate… how Cuba should select its leaders, who its leaders should not be, and what laws are the most appropriate for that nation. Why don’t we let them decide how they want to conduct their internal affairs, as the United States has been doing for more than two centuries? My greatest wish would be to see a friendly relationship emerge between the United States and Cuba. I hope that my case, in some way, stimulates our government to abandon its hostility in relation to Cuba and work together with Havana, imbued with a spirit of tolerance, mutual respect and understanding.”
BellyoftheBeast: The War on Cuba, all six episodes
Venezuela
Simon Bolivar (video), The Liberator and Revolutionary Hero Who Freed South America Celebrate Bolivar’s birthday, July 24 (1783). This English language short bio is not produced by Venezuela.
Peoples Dispatch (video): Feminist Brigade participates in exchange of revolutionary ideas in Venezuela Brigade participants met with representatives of Venezuelan popular and revolutionary feminism. This exchange was organized by the International Peoples’ Assembly and the Simon Bolivar Institute for Peace and Solidarity among Peoples.
The Cradle: Iran expands crude oil deliveries for Venezuela Iran increased delivery of a key crude oil grade that Venezuela uses to boost the productivity of its refineries. PDVSA is set to receive 4 million barrels of Iranian heavy crude this month, up from 1.07 million barrels delivered in June.
Orinoco Tribune: Extradited—Ernesto Quintero, Leopoldo López’s Protégé, Back in Venezuela Attorney general of Venezuela, Tarek William Saab, reported that Spain agreed to extradite to Venezuela Leopoldo López’s protégé, Ernesto Quintero. Quintero is implicated in a financial scam where 300 people, mostly elderly, were victimized by this fraud, for an amount of some $50 million.
Orinoco Tribune: ALBA-TCP to Create International Youth Observatory the Bolivarian Alliance for the Peoples of Our America announced the creation of the ALBA International Youth Observatory, where the young people of the countries of the bloc will get training and education. “This will result in a constant conversation to work and move forward as brothers and sisters in the region, together with the young people, and through the dialogue of knowledge that will contribute to training and exchange of knowledge.”
Orinoco Tribune: Diosdado Cabello: Washington Sends Mercenaries to Attack Venezuela’s Pipelines First vice president of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, Diosdado Cabello, denounced the US government for sending mercenaries to Venezuela to attack oil facilities.
“The attacks against the electrical system and against the oil system come from the United States through mercenaries. The far-right does not rest, and just as US imperialism, during all these years, has done what would be unthinkable for a rational mind, that strategy is part of US policy—the attack on oil facilities, bringing mercenaries, some of them detained, others tried.”
Bolivia
Declassified UK: Evo Morales on Bolivia’s new model and why the UK and US want to destroy it Evo explains that the imperial countries overthrew the Bolivian government in 2019 to block it from controlling and developing its natural resources. They want Third World countries to be only providers of raw materials, and not to develop, he says. This, Evo contrasts with the approach of China.
Events and Delegations
Global Health Partners: Help Send Life-Saving Medical Supplies to Cuba Half way to their goal! An urgent drive to send scarce anesthesia machines and sutures to Havana’s main trauma surgery hospital, the Calixto Garcia Hospital, which has 23 operating rooms, but just two working anesthesia machines. The hospital’s dedicated medical staff needs to perform more than 50 lifesaving surgeries each day, but lacks the equipment to treat all these patients.
Wednesdays: WTF is Going on in Latin America & The Caribbean with Teri Mattson
July 24: Reporting Back: Celebrating the 43rd Anniversary of the Sandinista Revolution
July 25: ¡Viva la solidaridad! Latin America’s Left Leads the Way
Travel to Venezuela with Code Pink October 7-17
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