FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Rep. Green on Cuban Influence in Venezuela
“The methods of repression we’ve seen in Venezuela in recent weeks are textbook Cuban tactics”
WASHINGTON—Today, Rep. Mark Green gave the following remarks during a Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere hearing titled, “Maduro Stole the Elections Again: The Response to Fraud in Venezuela.”
As prepared for delivery:
The crisis in Venezuela is tragic and heartbreaking. Millions of citizens are disenfranchised, nearly two thousand political opponents are imprisoned—including children—and dozens have been killed protesting the violation of their rights, all while the regime is issuing a constant stream of lies and propaganda. It’s tragic and heartbreaking, but not new; it is all too familiar.
The methods of repression we’ve seen in Venezuela are textbook Cuban tactics for crushing dissent and terrorizing opponents. That is hardly surprising. To those of us who have been paying attention, the expansive Cuban presence in Venezuela answers a lot of questions about the nature and intentions of the Maduro regime.
Back in 2021, under the Trump administration, the State Department reported, “The Cuban intelligence and security apparatus has infiltrated Venezuela’s security and military forces, assisting Nicholas Maduro to maintain his stranglehold over his people while allowing terrorist organizations to operate.”
As Maria Corina Machado, one of Maduro’s foremost political opponents and a champion of the Venezuelan people, said in a recent interview, “We have known for a long time that Cuba has had a terrible impact in multiple areas: in methods of repression, persecution, espionage, and torture. And we have seen truly heartless things in recent days.”
But not only are these tyrannical tactics similar; the U.S. response to them is also strikingly familiar. Just as the Biden-Harris administration has turned a blind eye to Cuban repression and relieves pressure on the regime, we are witnessing a similar dynamic in their dealings with Venezuela. While the Trump administration stood strong and refused to recognize the fraudulent Maduro regime in 2019, with the backing of the EU and 14 other countries in the Western Hemisphere, the Biden-Harris administration decided to change course and bring the Maduro regime back into the fold. From releasing a criminal and high-ranking Maduro ally to providing sanctions relief leading up to the stolen election, this administration paved the road on which Nicholas Maduro trampled Venezuelans.
Evil flourishes in the absence of strength.
Watch Rep. Green's remarks and questions here.
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This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://markgreen.house.gov/2024/9/rep-green-on-cuban-influence-in-venezuela