The Current State of the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, D.C.
As of May 11th, the conflict surrounding the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington, DC has turned into one of a major humanitarian issue in regards to violation of international law, lack of necessities, and more. Since around the beginning of April, various organizations such as CODEPINK, Socialist Alternative, Veterans for Peace, and more (after asking the legitimate government of Venezuela) formed an Embassy Protection Collective (EPC).
Outside of advocacy groups, various journalists such as Alexander Rubinstein and Anya Parampil of MintPress News and The Grayzone respectively are stuck inside to protect press freedom and continue coverage of the ongoing conflict surrounding the embassy, both inside and out.
In the case of supporting press freedom and investigative journalism, the halting of power, water, and other necessities to the embassy are direct efforts to censor journalists from inside. However, despite the lack of output as a result of the lack of resources, efforts are being made on the outside by fellow supporters to highlight their conditions and raise awareness about the direct violation of international law.
Since April, various necessities are being curbed in an attempt by pro-Guaido forces, metropolitan police, and the Secret Service to force the Collective out of the embassy without physically and illegally doing so (as proceeding with a standard eviction would be violating international law). The individuals within the embassy are attempting to hold their ground against pro-Guaido forces despite the hardship they presently face.
The power inside the embassy has been shut down for about half a week now, and more recently, the water has also been stopped. This is in direct violation of international law as per the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations under Article 25. The removal of power in the building stifles the journalistic attempts of both Rubinstein and Parampil to highlight the harassment faced at the hands of the United States government and the strict limits on the supposed free press.
To add on to this, there is a shortage of food inside the embassy, and there is no safe way to allow food to enter the building due to the human barricade that has been placed right outside the main entrance to the embassy. People attempting to send food and other items have been suppressed, sometimes violently, in an attempt to continue the poor conditions of those inside the embassy.
The violation of international law is nothing new for the United States, however. Throughout history, the United States has had little regard for following international law when it puts them at a disadvantage in regards to their foreign policy. Recent notable examples include the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) bombing of Yugoslavia in 1999, the 2001 war in Afghanistan, and the Iraq War in 2003.
The United States also has a strong history with regime change and overthrowing democratically elected leaders not only around the world but in Latin America specifically. The supporting of the 1973 coup d’etat in Chile oversaw the ousting of democratically elected socialist, Salvador Allende, in favour of dictator Augusto Pinochet, known for his human rights atrocities around the world. The case of Venezuela in 2019 is only echoing the past of the United States.
In a more positive light, activists and journalists alike have stood their ground inside, highlighting their support for the individuals stationed outside of the embassy across the street. These demonstrators have been seen chanting various slogans such as “Juan Guaido, you can’t hide. We can see your fascist side” as stated by Rubinstein on his Twitter earlier in the day.
Regardless of the complications faced by the Collective and the severe lack of necessities inside the building, there is still hope in regards to defending the embassy from the illegitimate government of Juan Guaido, who has consistently sought support from the American government since assuming the presidency back in January, without officially running in any election.
There is a significant sense of uncertainty regarding the future of the embassy as well as the fate of those encircled inside with no way out besides surrendering.
