María Emely Delgado crossed paths with Carmen Navas several times this year: at the offices of the NGO Foro Penal, at the Public Ministry, and once at the El Rodeo prison on the outskirts of Caracas. Delgado is 63 years old, Navas was 82. Both were looking for their sons, who disappeared after being arbitrarily detained. Carmen Navas died 10 days after finding her son Víctor Hugo in a cemetery. She had spent 16 months searching for him. María Emely has still not found Jorgen. “You have to be in
María Emely Delgado crossed paths with Carmen Navas several times this year: at the offices of the NGO Foro Penal, at the Public Ministry, and once at the El Rodeo prison on the outskirts of Caracas. Delgado is 63 years old, Navas was 82. Both were looking for their sons, who disappeared after being arbitrarily detained. Carmen Navas died 10 days after finding her son Víctor Hugo in a cemetery. She had spent 16 months searching for him. María Emely has still not found Jorgen. “You have to be in these shoes to know what this is like,” says the retired teacher, who has been wearing them for almost two years. “Her son had been missing for less time than mine; with Jorgen I’m now coming up on 22 months without news of him.”
Madrid, Spain – Venezuela’s opposition leader, María Corina Machado, drew thousands of supporters to Madrid’s Puerta del Sol on Saturday, telling them that they would soon be able to return to Venezuela.“Today we begin our return home,” she said to raucous applause from the crowd.Machado appeared on a balcony draped with the Spanish and Venezuelan flags overlooking the square and flanked by members of her team.
It was a moment that felt closer to a presidential address than a political rally,
Madrid, Spain – Venezuela’s opposition leader, María Corina Machado, drew thousands of supporters to Madrid’s Puerta del Sol on Saturday, telling them that they would soon be able to return to Venezuela.
“Today we begin our return home,” she said to raucous applause from the crowd.
Machado appeared on a balcony draped with the Spanish and Venezuelan flags overlooking the square and flanked by members of her team.
It was a moment that felt closer to a presidential address than a political rally, followed by chants calling for elections to vote her in and cries of “president, president, president” filling the square at various points throughout her speech.
The Madrid rally marks an attempt by Machado to build momentum, amid uncertainty over the opposition’s next steps and anticipation about when she will go back to Venezuela.
Machado won the opposition’s 2023 primary by a landslide but was barred from running in the 2024 presidential election. Edmundo Gonzalez ran in her place and is widely believed to have won.
But since the capture of Nicolas Maduro by U.S. forces on January 3, many Venezuelans want fresh elections and do consider Delcy Rodriguez, now interim president, to represent them.
A few minutes after Machado’s balcony appearance, she stepped onto a stage in her signature white top and jeans — the same look she wore during dozens of rallies in Venezuela ahead of the 2024 elections — as well as rosary beads around her neck, gifted by supporters.
Machado, who won the Nobel Peace Prize in 2025, lifted small children onto the stage to hug them, as various gifts were passed through the crowd towards the stage — pictures, flowers, and more rosary beads.
She said that on January 3 a huge hole opened up, and that force and energy had begun to flow: “Now, having lived through what we’ve lived through, having endured the worst repression and persecution, having overcome fear, we are now unstoppable — unstoppable.”
While she criticized interim president of Venezuela, Rodriguez, she praised the U.S. president.
“There is one leader in the world, one head of state, who has risked the lives of his country’s citizens for the freedom of Venezuela. And that is Donald Trump,” Machado said, referring to the U.S. capture of Maduro in January.
Machado also paid tribute to the city of Madrid, which she said had welcomed and integrated Venezuelans at their time of need — but said soon they would be able to go back to Venezuela.
“Today the whole world has its eyes on this Plaza del Sol, because it knows that here today we are beginning the return home,” she shouted. “Pack your bags, because we’re going back.”
Spain hosts one of the largest Venezuelan communities in Europe, making it a key base of support for the opposition abroad.
Many Venezuelans at the gathering said that they did want to return home.
“We were nurses, eighteen years of service, and we had to leave home, we had to leave work, we had to leave everything,” a woman called Nazareth told Latin America Reports. She had left with her friend in September 2025 because of persecution by authorities in Venezuela.
Nazareth, pictured right, holds a sign reading: “Madrid receives me, Guasdualito (a town in Venezuela) defines me. With MCM until the end!” Image credit: Catherine Ellis
But she said she wants to go back as soon as it is safe enough — and believes Machado can make that happen: “I’m with María Corina to the very end and beyond. She is a warrior woman, a woman who represents all of us.”
Others who had lived in Spain for years said Madrid was now their home, although some were beginning to consider a return. Liliana Urbina came to Spain 20 ago, when Hugo Chávez was still in power. But she said the changes since January 3 and Machado’s leadership now had her considering a permanent return to her home country.
“When I arrived here, I forgot about the idea of returning, but María Corina has changed that. She has shown the world that we can rebuild the country, that we are united, and that we will move forward,” she told Latin America Reports. “So it is feasible, and it is possible, and it is a dream that we too now have — of returning.”
The event was at times more like a concert than a rally, with musical performances from well-known Venezuelan performers such as Carlos Baute and opera singer Víctor García Sierra.
Many Venezuelans had arrived as early as 2 P.M. to secure their spots, bringing supplies as well as musical instruments to play for others around them. Others dressed up as President Trump or Nicolas Maduro, and posed for photos with the crowd.
MCM supporters dressed as Donald Trump and Nicolás Maduro. Image credit: Catherine Ellis.
As the day progressed and the crowd increased, several people fainted due to the heat and lack of shade.
Earlier in the day, Machado had attended a second symbolic ceremony during her visit. This time, she was awarded the Medal of the Community of Madrid. Edmundo González also received the honour but was unable to accept it in person as he is currently in hospital. On Friday she received the “llave de Oro” — golden key — an honour usually reserved for heads of state.
On Friday and Saturday, María Corina met with the country’s two main opposition leaders — Alberto Núñez Feijóo of the PP and Santiago Abascal of Vox. But she did not meet with Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez, who was hosting a conference of left-wing leaders — including Petro, Lula and Sheinbaum — in Barcelona. However, Sánchez said he had offered to meet her.
María Corina will visit the Spanish Senate on Monday.
Featured image description: Maria Corina Machado spoke to a crowd of supporters on Saturday, April 18. Featured image credit: Catherine Ellis.
Medellín, Colombia – Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez announced the dismissal of Vladimir Padrino as Minister of the People’s Power for Defense of Venezuela today, a long-term Nicolás Maduro ally.
“We thank G/J [General in Chief] Vladimir Padrino López for his dedication, his loyalty to the homeland, and for having been, throughout all these years, the foremost soldier in the defense of our country,” Rodríguez wrote on X.
In his place, the president designated general Gustavo
Medellín, Colombia – Venezuela’s interim president Delcy Rodríguez announced the dismissal of Vladimir Padrino as Minister of the People’s Power for Defense of Venezuela today, a long-term Nicolás Maduro ally.
“We thank G/J [General in Chief] Vladimir Padrino López for his dedication, his loyalty to the homeland, and for having been, throughout all these years, the foremost soldier in the defense of our country,” Rodríguez wrote on X.
In his place, the president designated general Gustavo González López – a veteran officer with experience in security and intelligence – as the new Minister of Defense. González will be heading two key bodies: the Presidential Guard and the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM).
Padrino had been Maduro’s trusted man for ten years, appointed to head the ministry in October 2014, making him one of the longest-serving ministers in Venezuela.
Padrino was also an important figure during the failed coup d’état against Chávez in April 2002. He remained loyal to the Chávez regime and refused to join the uprising while he commanded an armored unit stationed at Fuerte Tiuna, Caracas.
In her statement, Rodríguez also said she is confident Padrino will take on his new responsibilities with the “same commitment and honor” that characterized his trajectory and career. She did not specify what his role will be going forward.
Padrino’s removal was part of a broader cabinet reshuffle, with Rodríguez replacing the Minister of Housing and Habitat, the Minister of Electric Energy, the Minister of Public Works, the Minister of Transport and the Minister for the Social Process of Labor.
Featured image description: Delcy Rodriguez.
Featured image credit: Government of Russia via Wikimedia Commons
A meeting due to take place today between acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez and Colombian President Gustavo Petro was cancelled at the last minute.
Venezuelan authorities yesterday pulled out of the meeting, which was scheduled to take place on the two countries’ shared border, citing security reasons.
The encounter would have been Rodríguez’s first with a foreign leader since taking over from strongman Nicolas Maduro, who was ousted in a U.S. military operation in January.
A meeting due to take place today between acting Venezuelan President Delcy Rodríguez and Colombian President Gustavo Petro was cancelled at the last minute.
Venezuelan authorities yesterday pulled out of the meeting, which was scheduled to take place on the two countries’ shared border, citing security reasons.
The encounter would have been Rodríguez’s first with a foreign leader since taking over from strongman Nicolas Maduro, who was ousted in a U.S. military operation in January.
The planned meeting was due to take place at the Atanasio Girardot International Bridge, which connects Colombia and Venezuela.
It had been initiated by Colombian authorities as an opportunity for the two leaders to discuss issues on the bilateral agenda, including interests in border security, drug trafficking and the potential for Colombia to import Venezuelan natural gas.
In a joint statement on Thursday, the Colombian and Venezuelan governments explained the cancellation was due to unforeseen circumstances but have not provided further details, reporting they intend to reschedule in the near future.
Following the cancellation of the planned presidential summit, ministers from Gustavo Petro’s administration travelled to Caracas to sustain diplomatic engagement and avoid disrupting recent progress in bilateral relations.
Their agenda centred on reviving cross-border trade, advancing energy collaboration — including potential repairs to the Antonio Ricaurte gas pipeline — and continuing coordination on security matters along the shared border.
The visit was intended to maintain momentum in cooperation, with relations between Colombia and Venezuela showing signs of improvement since Maduro’s ouster.
Venezuelans strike against Delcy Rodríguez’s regime
Shortly before yesterday’s cancellation of the planned meeting, protests were reported in Caracas demanding an increase in the minimum wage. Unconfirmed videos on social media purported to show elderly demonstrators breaking through police cordons during the demonstration.
Rodríguez was appointed acting president this year by Venezuela’s Supreme Tribunal of Justice after the U.S. ousted strongman Nicolás Maduro and has served as the country’s vice president since June 2018.
In early March, Rodríguez publicly reaffirmed her government’s commitment to diplomatic dialogue with the United States as part of efforts to ease tensions following the U.S. military operation that captured former President Nicolás Maduro.
Featured image description: President Gustavo Petro at a cabinet meeting, October 22, 2025.
The end of the amnesty law in Venezuela, announced by the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, last week, has left the country with a balance marked by partial relief, controversy, and a sense that the measure fell short.Seguir leyendo
The end of the amnesty law in Venezuela, announced by the acting president, Delcy Rodríguez, last week, has left the country with a balance marked by partial relief, controversy, and a sense that the measure fell short.
Miguel Díaz-Canel grows emotional, raising his fist before hundreds of left-wing activists from Europe and Latin America gathered at Havana’s convention center, as seen in a video recorded days before a shipment of humanitarian aid arrived, while they chant, “Cuba is not alone.” On May 22, he is seen giving a military salute amid trumpets and Cuban pennants before thousands gathered at the so-called anti-imperialist platform between the U.S. embassy and the Malecón to show support for 94-year-ol
Miguel Díaz-Canel grows emotional, raising his fist before hundreds of left-wing activists from Europe and Latin America gathered at Havana’s convention center, as seen in a video recorded days before a shipment of humanitarian aid arrived, while they chant, “Cuba is not alone.” On May 22, he is seen giving a military salute amid trumpets and Cuban pennants before thousands gathered at the so-called anti-imperialist platform between the U.S. embassy and the Malecón to show support for 94-year-old Raúl Castro, who has just been charged by a U.S. court for ordering the shooting down of two planes belonging to an anti-Castro organization in 1996, an attack that killed four people.
Bogotá, Colombia – Colombian President Gustavo Petro arrived in Caracas today to meet with his counterpart in Venezuela, Interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
The visit makes Petro the first world leader to visit the South American nation since the United States captured longtime strongman Nicolás Maduro in a military operation on January 3.
Petro and Rodríguez are expected to discuss bilateral issues including energy and security cooperation on their more than 1,300 mile shared border.
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Bogotá, Colombia – Colombian President Gustavo Petro arrived in Caracas today to meet with his counterpart in Venezuela, Interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
The visit makes Petro the first world leader to visit the South American nation since the United States captured longtime strongman Nicolás Maduro in a military operation on January 3.
Petro and Rodríguez are expected to discuss bilateral issues including energy and security cooperation on their more than 1,300 mile shared border.
The Colombian president landed in Caracas on Friday afternoon with his Foreign Minister, Rosa Yolanda Villavicencio, and Defense Minister, Pedro Sánchez.
The delegation from Bogotá has been meeting with Rodríguez and her Interior Minister, Diosdado Cabello, alongside Foreign Minister Yván Gil at the Palacio de Miraflores – Venezuela’s presidential palace.
Petro and Rodríguez were flanked by top officials at their meeting. Image courtesy of @InfoPresidencia via X
Petro and Rodríguez were scheduled to meet in Cúcuta, a Colombian city bordering Venezuela, in March but the Venezuelan president cancelled at the last minute citing security concerns.
Then last Friday, the Colombian leader announced he would head to Venezuela, saying, “If Mohammed won’t come to me, I’ll go to the mountain.”
The primary purpose of the meeting is strengthening security cooperation, according to the Petro administration.
“The aim of this meeting is for both governments to make progress on a joint plan to strengthen security and intelligence in the border area,” wrote the Office of the President in a post on X today.
The sprawling frontier is a hotbed for guerrilla activity and is largely controlled by the Colombian National Liberation Army (ELN), a rebel group involved in drug trafficking and illegal mining on both sides of the border.
The ELN was known to have ties to the Maduro regime but the Venezuelan government is under pressure from the U.S. to crack down on the rebel group, which Washington considers a “terrorist organization.”
While the Petro administration maintains the importance of strengthening bilateral cooperation, the meeting has perturbed many in the Venezuelan exile community in Colombia.
“President Gustavo Petro’s visit to Venezuela, particularly his meeting with Delcy Rodríguez, raises serious concerns among Venezuelans,” Juan Carlos Viloria Doria, President of the Global Alliance for Human Rights and Vice-President of Venezuelans in Barranquilla, told Latin America Reports.
He noted that many Venezuelans do not consider Rodríguez to be a legitimate leader, describing her as “an extension of the regime led by Nicolás Maduro.”
“In this regard, such visits can be interpreted as a political endorsement or a form of international legitimization of a situation in Venezuela that still lacks adequate democratic guarantees,” maintained Viloria.
Petro and Rodríguez greet reporters. Image courtesy of @InfoPresidencia via X
There has also been pressure in Colombia for Petro to mediate the release of 16 Colombian citizens jailed in Venezuela.
The families of those detained allege the arrests were made “without a court order or evidence” and say their loved ones have faced human rights violations including torture.
While there has been an easing in repression following Maduro’s ouster, Venezuela remains an authoritarian state and rights groups continue to denounce abuses.
“The least that we Venezuelans expect is that [the meeting] be used as an opportunity to demand concrete progress on human rights and democracy,” said Viloria.
“Any dialogue or rapprochement must be aimed at improving the living conditions of the Venezuelan people and fostering a genuinely democratic transition, not at consolidating contested power structures.”
Featured image description: Colombian President Gustavo Petro and Venezuelan Interim President Delcy Rodríguez at a meeting in Caracas on April 24, 2026.
Those were turbulent times. It was November 2024 and Nicolás Maduro was holed up inside Miraflores Palace, the Venezuelan presidential residence. When any foreign leader hinted to him that it might be time to leave power, he answered with a single word: “Never.” The police and intelligence services under his command detained thousands of people who had taken to the streets to protest the electoral fraud that Chavismo had perpetrated in plain view of the world. Protesters had pulled down bronze s
Those were turbulent times. It was November 2024 and Nicolás Maduro was holed up inside Miraflores Palace, the Venezuelan presidential residence. When any foreign leader hinted to him that it might be time to leave power, he answered with a single word: “Never.” The police and intelligence services under his command detained thousands of people who had taken to the streets to protest the electoral fraud that Chavismo had perpetrated in plain view of the world. Protesters had pulled down bronze statues of Hugo Chávez across the country. Prisons were overflowing. The nation was on the brink of rebellion or a bloodbath — or both.
Between grandstanding, contradictory statements, and secret meetings, something is happening in Cuba. A path has opened that is still full of unknowns, but one that now seems hard to reverse. In recent days, events have accelerated with the unusual visit by the CIA chief to Havana, the U.S. indictment of Raúl Castro — the Cuban Revolution’s last great symbol — and the deployment of an aircraft carrier in Caribbean waters near the island.Seguir leyendo
Between grandstanding, contradictory statements, and secret meetings, something is happening in Cuba. A path has opened that is still full of unknowns, but one that now seems hard to reverse. In recent days, events have accelerated with the unusual visit by the CIA chief to Havana, the U.S. indictment of Raúl Castro — the Cuban Revolution’s last great symbol — and the deployment of an aircraft carrier in Caribbean waters near the island.
The Venezuelan government on Tuesday authorized the release of another 54 political prisoners, all military personnel, according to information confirmed by relatives of the detainees and support groups such as the Coalition for Human Rights and Democracy. Three of those released are women. According to data provided by Foro Penal official Gonzalo Himiob, most of them were part of the so‑called Operation White Armband, an alleged military conspiracy denounced by Venezuelan intelligence agencies
The Venezuelan government on Tuesday authorized the release of another 54 political prisoners, all military personnel, according to information confirmed by relatives of the detainees and support groups such as the Coalition for Human Rights and Democracy. Three of those released are women. According to data provided by Foro Penal official Gonzalo Himiob, most of them were part of the so‑called Operation White Armband, an alleged military conspiracy denounced by Venezuelan intelligence agencies four years ago. They had been held at Ramo Verde prison and the National Institute for Female Rehabilitation (INOF).
Madrid, Spain – A chant at a rally for Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado – referring to interim president Delcy Rodríguez as a monkey — has sparked backlash across political divides and forced a well-known Venezuelan singer to apologize.
The chant of “fuera la mona” (get the monkey out) resounded through Madrid’s Puerta del Sol on Saturday as thousands convened to show their support for Machado.
Although it lasted only seconds, the chant drew widespread criticism from both
Madrid, Spain – A chant at a rally for Venezuelan opposition figure María Corina Machado – referring to interim president Delcy Rodríguez as a monkey — has sparked backlash across political divides and forced a well-known Venezuelan singer to apologize.
The chant of “fuera la mona” (get the monkey out) resounded through Madrid’s Puerta del Sol on Saturday as thousands convened to show their support for Machado.
Although it lasted only seconds, the chant drew widespread criticism from both Venezuelan government supporters and the opposition; some denounced it as racist, while others said that, regardless of intent, it was derogatory and inappropriate to comment on someone’s appearance.
Latin America Reports was a few rows from the stage and observed that Venezuelan singer Carlos Baute had been calling for free elections when a small group began chanting. The slogan quickly spread through parts of the crowd. As it grew louder, Baute joined in and turned his microphone toward the audience, prompting even more people to repeat the chant.
By Sunday afternoon, clips were circulating on social media showing Baute joining in the chant on stage. The singer, who has more than a million followers on Instagram, issued a video apology on Monday. He said he had got caught up in the atmosphere of the rally, but insisted he is not racist.
“I let myself be carried away by the emotion of a very powerful moment… and I also know when something wasn’t right,” the 52-year-old said.
“All my life I have sung about love, life and unity. I am not racist. I am a singer who loves his country, his family and God.”
Not everyone in the crowd participated and some attendees appeared visibly uncomfortable.
Although the chanting lasted only seconds and were followed by upbeat performances and Machado’s speech, by the following day the footage had gone viral.
Machado, leader of Venezuela’s opposition, moved quickly to distance herself from the remarks, criticizing the chant in an interview with EFE on Sunday: “No one will ever hear me say anything that judges or disqualifies a person based on their religion, gender or race.”
The same day, the Venezuelan Embassy in Spain condemned the remarks, describing them as “a form of political violence rooted in misogyny and racism.”
Others, however, defended the moment, pointing to what they described as a double standard and to language often used by government supporters against opposition figures, including insults directed at Machado such as “bruja” — meaning witch — and “sayona,” a reference to a Venezuelan legend about an evil female spirit.
“Just as I have made clear the racism and therefore the idiocy of calling Delcy ‘mona’, it is impossible not to point out the cynicism of someone who insults Venezuelan women every day, when he calls Machado ‘sayona’ or ‘bruja,’” he wrote.
Machado is currently in Madrid as part of a European tour, meeting Venezuelan diaspora supporters and political figures. She has not, however, met Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.
Featured image description: Delcy Rodriguez.
Featured image credit: Government of Russia via Wikimedia Commons
The National Assembly of Venezuela, controlled by Chavismo, has taken a step toward ending the state monopoly over the electricity service, which has been in crisis with blackouts and other problems for two decades. A draft reform to the Organic Law of the Electric System and Service was approved in first reading; it is aimed at opening the field to private capital within a framework of long-term concessions. Seguir leyendo
The National Assembly of Venezuela, controlled by Chavismo, has taken a step toward ending the state monopoly over the electricity service, which has been in crisis with blackouts and other problems for two decades. A draft reform to the Organic Law of the Electric System and Service was approved in first reading; it is aimed at opening the field to private capital within a framework of long-term concessions.
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