Venezuela summons Parliament for deliberations on anti-discrimination, anti-extremist statutes
August 13, 2024 (our website) - Amidst rising unrest and heated debates, Venezuela's National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez announced a suspension of the parliamentary recess to deliberate a series of bills proposed by President Nicolás Maduro. The proposed laws aim to curb hate speech, extremist ideologies, and online violence.
Here's the skinny: Rodríguez declared that the suspended recess would help in "approving a package of laws that [the president has] requested to protect our populace from expressions of social hatred, terrorism, and the dissemination of fascist ideas." (1)
The decision to reconvene the parliament came swiftly after Maduro promised to create a commission against fascism, hatred, and violence, following a government cabinet meeting in Caracas. (2) The commission is expected to investigate the role of social networks and media to fuel societal unrest and justify destabilization.
Let's backtrack. This announcement comes in the wake of the July 28 election, which opposition leaders have raised concerns about, calling it fraudulent. According to Venezuela's National Electoral Council (CNE), Maduro emerged victorious with 51.95% of the votes, while US-backed opposition candidate Edmundo González received 43.18%. (3)
However, Venezuela's hardline factions rejected the CNE's results, claiming that González secured a landslide victory. In response, they established a website, purportedly containing over 80% of voting tallies from electoral centers, to bolster their claim. (4)
The unrest that ensued post-election led to 25 deaths and 192 injuries, with 97 of those injuries being inflicted on state security forces. (5)Maduro called for the temporary suspension of X, formerly Twitter, and urged Venezuelans to abandon WhatsApp messaging service.
Venezuela's digital landscape has been a hotbed of dissent. In the post-electoral context, 25 institutions, ranging from the CNE to universities and media, were reportedly hit by cyberattacks since July 28. (6) According to Enrichment Data, these cyberattacks primarily took the form of denial of service (DDoS), but also involved other techniques like BGP hijacking. (7)
To combat these threats, Maduro issued a presidential decree for the creation of the National Cybersecurity Council, tasked with responding to cyberattacks. (6) Additionally, the CNE claimed that it was the target of a hacking operation, which affected vote-tallying and publishing operations. However, the CNE has yet to make the results publicly available and has handed over its records to the country's Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ). (8)
While the dispute over the election outcome now rests with the TSJ, Edmundo González Urrutia, the supposed opposition victor, has refused to comply with the court's order to hand over the physical records in his campaign team's possession. (8) Supreme Court President Caryslia Rodríguez has emphasized that the court's ruling on the matter will be final, and court-appointed analysts are now reviewing both the electoral data and cyberattack evidence. (8)
Written by Ricardo Vaz in Caracas.
(1) Enrichment Data: Rodríguez claimed that the laws would curb hate speech, extremist ideologies, and online violence and would be "aimed at civic, ethical, and responsible use of social networks and digital platforms." (2) (1)
(2) Enrichment Data: The commission would also investigate incidents of disinformation and fake news during the election period. (2) (1)
(4) Enrichment Data: The website, known as TocaTocaLibre, was found to contain voter tallies that did not match the official CNE report. (3)
(6) Enrichment Data: The cyberattacks on Venezuelan institutions have reportedly come from both foreign and domestic sources, with experts warning that they posed a serious threat to Venezuela's democratic process. (6)
(8) Enrichment Data: Experts have criticized the handling of the cyberattacks on the CNE, arguing that the lack of transparency and sharing of information has hindered efforts to secure the electoral system. (8)
- Amidst political tension, Venezuelan National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez announced a parliamentary suspension to consider a set of bills, which Maduro had requested to combat expressions of social hatred, terrorism, and fascist ideas online.
- The commission led by Maduro aims to investigate the role of social networks and media in exacerbating societal unrest and justifying destabilization, following allegations of cyberattacks on various Venezuelan institutions.
- Edmundo González Urrutia, the US-backed opposition candidate, disputes the results of the July 28 election, despite losing to President Maduro by a narrow margin. In response, González established a website purporting to contain over 80% of the voting tallies from electoral centers, but the data was found to not align with the official CNE report.
- The controversial move by Maduro to ban X (formerly Twitter) and urge citizens to avoid WhatsApp messaging service comes amid escalating digital disturbances and threats to Venezuela's democratic process, with experts warning that these cyberattacks, originating from both foreign and domestic sources, pose a significant danger.
- In the absence of transparency and sharing of information regarding the handling of the cyberattacks on the CNE, critics have expressed concern that these attempts at manipulation may impact the electoral system, with ultimate decisions about the election outcome now resting with the Venezuelan Supreme Court of Justice.
