Webinar video: International Human Rights Day – the Crime of Sanctions with Cuba Ambassador Lianys Torres Rivera; Nicaragua Ambassador Lautaro Sandino; Carlos Ron, Venezuela Deputy Foreign Minister.
.
Venezuela
TeleSur: 200th Anniversary of the Historic the Battle of Ayacucho In1824, General Sucre consolidated South American independence by inflicting a resounding defeat on the Spanish royalist army in Peru. On December 9, Latin American nations commemorate the independence heroes who fought in the Battle of Ayacucho on December 9, 1824, a date that marked Peru’s independence and the end of Spanish colonial rule in South America. General Antonio Jose de Sucre was a young Venezuelan lieutenant of Liberator Simon Bolivar. That day, the patriot army, composed of 5,000 men, defeated approximately 6,000 royalist soldiers commanded by Gen. Jose Canterac, the chief of the royalist general staff.
In addition to routing the royalist forces and inflicting heavy casualties, the patriots captured many Spanish officers, including Gen. Jose de la Serna, the last viceroy of Peru. After the battle, Canterac signed a surrender treaty and abandoned further resistance.
“The Battle of Ayacucho is the pinnacle of American glory, and it is the work of General Sucre. Its planning was flawless, and its execution divine. Swift and skillful maneuvers dismantled in an hour the victors of fourteen years and an enemy perfectly structured and skillfully led. Ayacucho is the despair of our enemies,” Bolivar declared. “General Sucre is the Father of Ayacucho: he is the redeemer of the children of the sun. He is the one who broke the chains with which Pizarro ensnared the Inca Empire. Posterity will portray Sucre with one foot on Pichincha and the other on Potosi, holding in his hands the cradle of Manco Capac and gazing upon the chains of Peru broken by his sword.”
Speech by President Maduro in Commemoration of the Bicentennial of the Battle of Ayacucho Two hundred years ago was the final defeat of the Spanish Empire in South America. President Maduro summarizes that battle, the events lading up to it, and lessons for today’s struggle against the US empire.
Tele Sur: Venezuela Commemorates the Feat That Shaped South American Independence “Our objective is to ensure that the homeland received by future generations remains free, sovereign, and independent,” Justice Minister Diosdado Cabello said, referencing the dreams of Liberator Bolivar and General Antonio Jose de Sucre. He also recalled the legacy of Commander Hugo Chavez, the former Venezuelan president, who defined the current struggles of Latin American nations as the direct continuation of the independence processes initiated two centuries ago. “Every attempt to revive Bolivar’s dreams had been defeated until 1998, when a young man from Sabaneta came to the Venezuelan presidency. With him, the dreams of Bolivar and Sucre rose again,” Cabello said, remembering Chavez.
Orinoco Tribune: Maduro on Syria: Make No Mistake With Venezuela President Maduro also stated that he is observing the development of the circumstances “painful for the people of Syria” and condemned “the shameless fascist extremism” calling for a fratricidal confrontation also be organized in Venezuela. “I tell you, make no mistake because the people of Venezuela, in perfect popular, military, and police alliance, will triumph on the path of peace,” Maduro emphasized this Monday during the commemoration of the Bicentennial of the Battle of Ayacucho.
Mision Verdad: Can the Venezuelan Economy Withstand an Intensification of the US Blockade? Although new coercive measures against Venezuela will surely cause problems, it does not seem likely this will impact the country like those years of “maximum pressure.” In case of the cancellation of licenses by the Trump administration, the vulnerability of the Venezuelan oil sector in 2024 is less than in 2019 due to the placement of crude oil in the “secondary” or sanctions-evading market, which has been a practice of other countries under similar pressure, such as Iran and Russia. In 2019, Venezuela had to build, starting from scratch, a scheme to evade sanctions that was developed with greater emphasis since the Constitutional Anti-Blockade Law was enacted in 2020.
Ultimas Noticias: Venezuela Publishes New NGO Regulation Law This establishes a framework for the creation, registration, operation, and financing of non-governmental organizations and non-profit social organizations. The law prohibits promoting fascism, receiving funds for terrorist acts, and carrying out political party activities, among other provisions. This article elaborates on the obligations, rights, and restrictions on NGOs.
Peoples Dispatch: Venezuela passes a law targeting those who support sanctions on Venezuela The legislation seeks to impede political and economic activities that promote the economic sanctions that several Western countries have imposed on the Caribbean republic. The Act was passed after the House of Representatives passed the “Bolivar Act”, which seeks to prohibit all types of business between the US and Venezuela. Among the actions now illegal in Venezuela are the promotion of coercive or other restrictive measures against the State by other States or foreign corporations, the disregard of the legitimately constituted powers of the State, the collaboration with foreign organizations that promote sanctions against natural interests, the hindering of foreign investments in the country, and the promotion or solicitation of armed activities against the Venezuelan people.
.
Cuba
Hombre del Silencio: The Prison Diary of Ramon Labanino Part 13: Blood Pressure; Prison Transfers; The knife under the bed; Visit of Cuban doctors to Ashland, Kentucky; The end; Meeting with Raúl; Our meeting with FIDEL, a dream come true Final installment. We celebrate the 10th anniversary of their freedom on December 17.
PeoplesWorld (Tom Whitney): Exporting doctors, not bombs: Cuba’s Latin American School of Medicine celebrates 25 years A conference of ELAM graduates took place in Havana from Nov. 11 to 15, gathering to mark the 25th anniversary of ELAM’s founding in 1999. A focus on ELAM demonstrates for us the paradox, cruelty, and injustice of U.S. aggression against a people capable of producing such an unprecedented achievement as ELAM.
Luther Castillo Harry, currently minister of science, technology, and innovation in the Honduran government, graduated from ELAM in 2007. He declared at the conference that, “We are looking at the possibility of building the greatest scientific organization in the world…. Each one of us has to be an ambassador of the Cuban Revolution….We will only gain the possible, through struggle against the impossible.”
Cuba’s medical network, Health Minister José Ángel Portal Miranda explained, consists of 451 polyclinics, 11,315 community health centers, 149 hospitals, and a workforce of 400,000 people. There are eight physicians serving each cohort of 1,000 Cubans – 80,000 in all. Maternity homes and homes for elders are part of the system.
He cited some 600,000 Cuban health workers having cared for people in more than 160 countries over many years.
Donate to help Cuba in its time of need, a list
.
Nicaragua
President Daniel Ortega on Battle of Ayacucho: “Division destroys Peoples, Unity strengthens Peoples, and Unity gives the force to defeat even empires, as the Spanish Empire was defeated on a day like today” Unfortunately the world lives on fire, lives in war, where reason does not predominate, understanding does not predominate, but what predominates is the desire to seize the wealth of Peoples. That has been the History of Humanity, and we still see wars; Nations with 13 years of war, like Syria, 13 years of war, and now it seems that there will be no more war, but they had not finished talking about Peace before they already are bombing again in Syria; its neighbors bombing there, the Government of Israel, and also the US Aviation bombing….Wars that were imposed on us! Our plans were dedicated at that time to Literacy, to building Hospitals, to building Schools, Roads and Highways, but war was imposed on us by the Imperialists of the Earth. A war that lasted 10 years, from 1980 to 1990, 10 years of war!
The great strategic defeat of the Spanish Empire in America was the Battle of Ayacucho, the one that made it possible to consolidate the independence of all our Peoples. And on this date, on this day, our greeting to the Venezuelan People, to the Bolivarian People, the Land of Bolivar, the Land of Chavez, who continued the Battle of Bolivar, which today commemorates this 200th Anniversary.
.
Events:
December 13, 16: Deportation Defense Series: Skill Up + Crew Up Over the last several years of experienced raids, border militarization, anti-immigrant legislation and many deportations, we’ve held up steady, powerful, and heartfelt fights against them. During this time, we’ve learned more than a few things about deportations and protecting our communities. Deportation defense has been a critical way of fighting back and learning how to slow the deportation machine down. It also is a very clear and direct way to be in solidarity with immigrant communities. That’s why we’re hosting the Deportation Defense Series: Skill Up + Crew Up, a 3-part virtual series on deportation defense on December 10th, 13th, and 16th.
December 16, Tampa: Hands off Uhuru On December 16, Chairman Omali Yeshitela, Penny Hess and Jesse Nevel will go before Judge William Jung in Federal Court in Tampa where the government wants to put them in prison for 5 years and fine them $250,000 each on a conspiracy conviction entirely tied to their exercising of their First Amendment rights to freedom of speech and association.
December 17: MAPA: Travel to Cuba Now – This is the Time with Merri Ansara
January 28-31: Havana, Cuba: VI International Conference For World Balance This conference cultivates partnerships and formulates actionable strategies to propel us towards a more equitable and just global community. Organized by the Office of the Martí Program and co-sponsored by UNESCO and Soka Gakkai International.
February 8, London: Latin America Conference This will be the 19th annual Latin America Adelante! Conference.
.
Delegations to Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua:
Bolivia
Feb 8 – Feb 17, 2025: Bolivia, 20 Years of Popular Democracy and Indigenous Self-Determination
Cuba
January 26 -February 4: Visit Cuba with the Center for Global Justice
April 17-May 3: Puerto Rico Brigada Juan Ruiz Rivera to Cuba
April 26- May 3: The Nation: Havana and Trinidad
April 27-May 9: May Day Delegation Itinerary Draft
Different Brigades and Solidarity Trips to Cuba
Witness for Peace delegations to Cuba
Friendly Planet delegations to Cuba
Nicaragua
Casa Ben Linder Email casabenjaminlinder@gmail.com to apply:
20 February – 1 March 2025: The Bird Brigade: Birding in Solentiname Arquipelago
6-16 March 2025: Power & Protagonism: Women in Nicaragua
May 2025: Co-ops and Communities: Cooperative Movement in Nicaragua
June 2025: Global Health: Family and Community Health in Nicaragua
July 2025: Solidarity in Action: Nicaragua’s Popular Revolution
November 2025: Salud & Solidaridad: Hands-On Healthcare in Nicaragua
.
This is also available at ChicagoALBASolidarity.org. If you have events to publicize, send them to venezuelaweekly@afgj.org or stansfieldsmith100@gmail.com.
Chicago ALBA Solidarity 