The Venezuela Briefing

What will the normalization of Colombia-Venezuela diplomatic relations mean for Venezuelans along the border? This episode features interviews with human rights defenders, humanitarian workers and journalists in the Venezuelan western border states of Tachira and Zulia, recording during an August visit by WOLA's Geoff Ramsey. They paint a complicated picture of life along the border, and share how conditions in the interior of the country differ from the capital city in Caracas.

In this episode Geoff Ramsey interviews Venezuelan LGBTI activist and researcher Quiteria Franco, General Coordinator of Unión Afirmativa. They discuss the status of LGBTI rights in Venezuela, which is far behind much of the rest the Americas on issues like marriage equality, adoption rights for same-sex couples, and protections for transgender people. Despite these obstacles, Franco explains how committed activists in the LGBTI community are working for change.

Follow Quiteria Franco on Twitter at @qfranco and see the latest from Unión Afirmativa at www.unionafirmativa.org.ve.

In this episode of The Venezuela Briefing, Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview Cristina Ciordia of the Center for Justice and Peace (CEPAZ) about the differentiated impact of Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis on women and girls. Ramsey, Martinez-Gugerli and Ciordia discuss the findings of a recent study by Con Ellas on the situation for these groups, and Con Ellas’s recommendations for how to incorporate a gender and diversity lens into the humanitarian response in Venezuela.

Follow the work of CEPAZ on Twitter at @_cepaz, and look out on www.venezuelablog.org for an upcoming report by Con Ellas.

In this latest episode of The Venezuela Briefing, Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli had the opportunity to interview Francisco Monaldi, a leading scholar on the politics and economics of energy policy in Venezuela. Ramsey, Martinez-Gugerli and Monaldi discuss the state of Venezuela’s oil sector, the recent visit of U.S. officials to Caracas, and the potential return to negotiations in Venezuela.

Follow Francisco Monaldi on Twitter: @fmonaldi

Read the latest report by the Atlantic Council’s Venezuela Working Group, which Monaldi contributed to: https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/in-depth-research-reports/report/exploring-humanitarian-frameworks-for-venezuela/

In this latest, Spanish language* episode of The Venezuela Briefing, Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martínez-Gugerli interview Eugenio Martínez, expert in Venezuelan politics and electoral matters, about the results of the regional elections on November 21, 2021, as well as the repeat elections in Barinas state on January 9. Martínez discusses the implications of this latest electoral process, and of the opposition’s historic victory in Barinas, for the political situation in Venezuela.

Follow Eugenio Martínez on Twitter: @puzkas

*An English transcript of this episode will be made available at a later date.

In this latest episode of The Venezuela Briefing, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez Gugerli interview Adelys Ferro, a Venezuelan-American community leader and director of the recently-launched Venezuelan American Caucus, a new initiative to mobilize and organize the Venezuelan diaspora in the United States to advocate for comprehensive policies centered around humanitarian needs and democratic efforts in Venezuela. Ramsey, Martinez-Gugerli, and Ferro discuss the current political moment in Venezuela, the goals and objectives of the Venezuelan American Caucus, and the Biden administration’s policy towards Venezuela so far.

Learn more about the Venezuelan American Caucus and see their introductory statement at https://www.venezuelanamericancaucus.com/

Read WOLA’s recent report on the need for humanitarian accords at https://www.wola.org/analysis/how-us-policymakers-can-support-humanitarian-accords-venezuela/

In this episode of The Venezuela Briefing, WOLA’s Kristen Martinez-Gugerli talks with Lucía Ramírez of Dejusticia and Livia Lenci of Missão Paz to discuss the response to Venezuelan migrants and refugees in Colombia and Brazil. As a follow-up to WOLA’s #StandFor6Million campaign, Kristen, Lucia, and Livia discuss civil society efforts to support fleeing Venezuelans in their host countries, challenges facing migrants and refugees in Colombia and Brazil, and what to expect from presidential elections next year.

See WOLA’s written analysis on the subject at https://www.venezuelablog.org/how-regional-civil-society-organizations-are-showing-solidarity-with-fleeing-venezuelans/

And follow the work of Dejusticia and Missão Paz at https://www.dejusticia.org/en/ and https://missaonspaz.org/

In the latest episode of The Venezuela Briefing, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview Daniel Cooper Bermúdez, a Venezuelan political scientist, human rights activist, and founder of Hearts on Venezuela, an initiative aimed at raising awareness of Venezuela’s crisis through the translation of the work of civil society organizations for an English-speaking audience. Kristen, Geoff, and Daniel discuss the latest in Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis, what’s on the table in political negotiations taking place in Mexico, and recent efforts to repress the work of NGOs in the country.

Follow the work of Hearts on Venezuela at http://www.heartsonvenezuela.com/

In the eighth episode of The Venezuela Briefing podcast, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview Venezuelan attorney and human rights defender Beatriz Borges about the latest in Venezuela’s humanitarian crisis and civil society efforts around upcoming regional elections. Beatriz Borges, Director of the Center for Justice and Peace (CEPAZ) provides details on recent developments in Venezuela’s national COVID-19 vaccination effort, access to vaccines through COVAX, and the implications of a March agreement reached with the UN World Food Programme. Borges also discusses recent efforts by Foro Civico to demand minimum electoral conditions and encourage voter participation in upcoming regional and municipal elections in Venezuela.

In the latest episode of The Venezuela Briefing podcast, hosts Geoff Ramsey and Kristen Martinez-Gugerli interview Venezuelan academic and analyst Michael Penfold about changing dynamics in Venezuela’s political crisis. Following recent concessions from the de facto Maduro government, including the naming of a new electoral council, a historic agreement with the UN World Food Programme, and the transfer of 6 U.S. oil executives to house arrest, Penfold explains what to make of these developments in Venezuela’s current political context. This episode focuses on opposition dynamics, the Biden administration’s policy towards Venezuela, and prospects for a negotiated solution in the short and long term.