The Trump Regime Aims to Silence Independent News and Views on Venezuela
by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org – Home – Stephen Lendman)
Supported by Congress, the courts, and establishment media, Trump regime hardliners want truth-telling eliminated – about Venezuela and other vital issues.
Wanting Julian Assange, Chelsea Manning, and other truth-tellers silenced is all about waging war on alternative news and views, wanting media reporting the official narrative exclusively.
Trump regime sanctions war on Venezuela is all about inflicting pain and suffering on its ordinary people, part of a diabolical plot to eliminate its sovereign independence and gain control over the world’s largest oil reserves.
Part of the scheme is silencing truth-telling media. In early April, Information Clearing House (ICH) was suspended, shut down for several days until able to restore its service through an overseas server.
It provides invaluable daily news, information, and opinions on major world and national issues, what establishment media suppress — ICH attacked because of its large readership.
Venezuela Analysis (VA) “is an independent (English language) website produced by individuals who are dedicated to disseminating news and analysis about the current political situation in Venezuela.”
It’s an antidote to establishment media rubbish, reporting accurately on what’s going on in the country – directed towards “activists, academics, journalists, intellectuals, policy makers from different countries, and the general public,” wanting truth-telling about Venezuela, not propaganda.
For around 48 hours over the weekend, VA was offline following what it called “a massive DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack.”
It’s done by hostile incoming traffic flooding the attacked site from multiple sources, shutting it down.
It differs from a denial of service attack (DoS), using one computer and Internet connection to flood a targeted site.
A DDoS attack is more destructive, using multiple computers and Internet connections against a targeted website – often global, distributed by botnets.
There are various types of DDoS attacks, targeting traffic to a website including by malware, its bandwidth, and/or application-layer data messages. The effect is the same – a complete denial of service.
On Monday, VA was back online following the weekend outage, saying the attack on its website began last week, escalating Saturday morning, explaining:
“There is no information on the identity or location of the assailants. The website is back up and running with an added layer of protection that hopefully will keep episodes like this from happening again,” adding:
“We remain as committed as ever to providing independent, grassroots-based reporting on Venezuela that counters the monolithic pro-regime change narrative that can be found in the English-speaking mainstream media.”
“We are well aware that the media is a key battleground in the renewed US-led attempts to remove the Bolivarian Government from power, and that (VA’s) reporting is an important informational resource for solidarity movements and the public at large.”
The struggle to preserve and protect Venezuela’s soul from hostile Trump regime efforts to eliminate it continues.
Despite its sanctions war and other hostile actions, Venezuelans go about their daily lives normally.
No shortage of food exists, government subsidized for the poor. Venezuelans aren’t going hungry as falsely reported by Western regimes and media.
Communal activism, solidarity and resistance against Yankee imperial is unreported in the West. The vast majority of Venezuelans want US dirty hands kept off their country.
According to Russian Deputy Defense Minister General Alexander Fomin, the Trump regime maintains heavy pressure on Venezuela, explaining:
“They do not reject any tool. (They’re) employing a broad range of tactics and techniques developed for hybrid wars and color revolutions.”
They’ve “been training leaders and members of extremist groups. They have been ramping up pressure including bribery, bullying, and sectoral sanctions. Operation Blackout is underway, a man-made shutdown of energy facilities…deepening the economic crisis.”
Along with Venezuela, Cuba and Nicaragua are next to be targeted for regime change, Iran in the Middle East targeted all along, the Trump regime upping pressure by ending waivers for eight countries to keep buying its oil unobstructed.
According to Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Oleg Syromolotov, Moscow is “provid(ing) all necessary assistance to Venezuelan friends on the basis of requests from the legitimate government,” adding:
Multiple blackouts were caused by “comprehensive remote influence on the control and monitoring systems of the main power distribution stations where the equipment produced in one of the Western countries has been installed.”
Elements carrying out the attacks knew the equipment’s vulnerabilities. “They and the instigators of sabotage are responsible for” what happened.
A Final Comment
For the past two weeks, activists have been living in, protecting, and aiding the skeleton diplomatic staff remaining in Venezuela’s Washington embassy.
Calling themselves the Embassy Protection Collective, the Trump regime ordered them out by April 24. They remain firm, supporting Venezuelan sovereignty and rule of law against the ongoing coup attempt.
Forced entry violates international law. Under Article 22(1) of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations:
“The premises of the mission shall be inviolable. The agents of the receiving State may not enter them, except with the consent of the head of the mission.”
Article 22(3) states: “The premises of the mission, their furnishings and other property thereon and the means of transport of the mission shall be immune from search, requisition, attachment or execution.”
Article 29 adds: “The person of a diplomatic agent shall be inviolable. He shall not be liable to any form of arrest or detention.”
“The receiving State shall treat him with due respect and shall take all appropriate steps to prevent any attack on his person, freedom or dignity.”
Article 30 grants the same inviolability and protection to a diplomat’s private residence, his or her papers, correspondence, and property.
Will Trump regime hardliners forcefully take over Venezuela’s Washington embassy, violating the Vienna Convention?
That’s what they most likely intend to do, no doubt claiming its lawful occupants are intruders.
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