On December 10, Jesús Armas, a Venezuelan democracy activist, former Caracas city councilor, and one of the campaign managers for Edmundo González and María Corina Machado’s presidential campaign in the nation’s capital, was kidnapped by Nicolás Maduro’s and Diosdado Cabello’s… Read More
On November 30, 2024, Manuel de Jesús Guillén Esplugas died in a Cuban prison, officially attributed to asphyxiation from hanging. However, Manuel’s body and his clothes bore signs of torture, including muddy footprints and urine-soaked pants. In the video that… Read More
On Monday, December 2, the Latin America Program’s team participated at an open meeting at the Organization of American States to present a report on Transnational Repression. They were joined by the Coalition for Human Rights and Democracy (Coalición por… Read More
A few days ago in Madrid, I had the opportunity to meet with two independent Cuban journalists. They were in the city to offer a firsthand account of the grim realities on the island. As our conversation began, one of… Read More
VOC was honored to host a group of 47 students from across Latin America as part of the Youth and Democracy in the Americas Summit. These rising leaders from Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua, and around the region listened to a series of… Read More
Recently at a conference in Madrid, Elisa Trotta, former ambassador of the Venezuelan government in exile in Argentina, said something incredibly poignant: “In Venezuela, time is measured in victims.” It was an expression of pain, one that describes life under the… Read More
On Tuesday, October 15 at the Organization of American States, the presidential campaign of Edmundo González presented a new report detailing the resounding victory of the Venezuelan people in the face of electoral fraud. Joined by David Smolansky, VOC Senior… Read More
A new report from the Victims of Communism Memorial Foundation and The Coalition for Human Rights and Democracy, entitled Torture: Venezuela’s State Policy, discusses the systematic use of torture by the Venezuelan government as a tool to instill fear and suppress dissent. The report highlights: Read… Read More
VOC Senior Fellow David Smolansky was quoted by the Washington Post Editorial Board on Maduro’s crimes in Venezuela. As the Editorial Board writes, “Nearly a year ago, the Biden administration saw an opening for democracy in Venezuela, easing some sanctions… Read More
VOC and the Foundation for Economic Education hosted a cohort of students from across the United States for a tour of the Victims of Communism Museum and a fireside chat on the ongoing Venezuelan struggle for freedom. After visiting VOC’s new temporary gallery… Read More
