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ePaper created 2015-11-10, 17:27:36 | version 1.33.00
REDACTED Page 45 of 190 proof that those individuals were planning terrorist acts, but that evidence was never made public.155 On 19 May 2014, Minister Rodríguez Torres announced the creation of an elite “Special Brigade” of no more than 60 officers to “combat groups who create violence, specially paramilitary groups and drug trafficking (…) and the organized bands who seek to destabilize the daily life of the people” under his personal command.156 On 28 May 2014, the Political High Command of the Bolivarian Revolution represented in that instance by the Vice-president Jorge Arreaza, First Lady Cilia Flores, Minister of Energy Rafael Ramirez, Mayor of Libertador Municipality Jorge Rodriguez and the Governor of Aragua State Tareck El Aissami presented at a TV show hosted by National Assembly President Diosdado Cabello and broadcasted by public TV (“Con el Mazo Dando” which vaguely translates as “Hitting with the Maze”) a series of emails allegedly belonging to Maria Corina Machado and other public figures. According to these politicians, these e-mails demonstrated that Machado, Gustavo Tarre Briceño, Diego Arria, Henrique Salas Römer, Eligio Cedeno, Pedro Mario Burelli and Ricardo Koesling, along with other well-known Venezuelan political actors and the US Ambassador in Colombia Kevin Whitaker, were engaged in a plan to undermine the stability of the Republic of Venezuela and assassinate Nicolás Maduro, Diosdado Cabello and Tareck El Aissami.157 Diosdado Cabello and Jorge Rodríguez presented further evidence on 12 June 2014, and stated that the plan involved assassinating President Maduro and perpetrating a coup in Venezuela.158 http://www.elmundo.com.ve/noticias/actualidad/noticias/rodriguez-torres--hay-243-detenidos-por- desalojos-.aspx [Accessed 23 October, 2015] 155 LA NACION. (2014) Venezuela: desmantelaron campamentos de protesta y detuvieron a 243 opositores; EL MUNDO. (2014) Rodríguez Torres: Hay 243 detenidos por desalojos a campamentos 156 GLOBOVISION. (2014) Gobierno activará "brigada especial" contra grupos generadores de violencia. Globovision. [Online] 16 May. Available from: http://globovision.com/gobierno-activara- brigada-especial-contra-grupos-generadores-de-violencia/ [Accessed 23 October, 2015]; EL NACIONAL. (2014) Cuestionan activación brigada especial de Rodríguez Torres. El Nacional. [Online] 20 May. Available from: http://www.el-nacional.com/politica/Cuestionan-activacion-especial- Rodriguez-Torres_0_412758823.html [Accessed 23 October, 2015] 157 VT. (28 May) El Aissamí: Están en marcha planes magnicidas de ultraderecha y funcionarios EEUU para amenazar la Paz y el futuro del país. Venezolana de Televisión. [Online] 28 May. Available from: http://www.vtv.gob.ve/articulos/2014/05/28/el-aissami-estan-en-marcha-planes-magnicidas-de- ultraderecha-y-funcionarios-de-eeuu-para-amenazar-la-paz-y-el-futuro-de-familias-venezolanas- 557.html [Accessed 23 October, 2015] 158 HERNÁNDEZ, A.M. (2014) Jorge Rodríguez presenta nuevas supuestas pruebas de plan magnicida. El Universal. [Online] 13 June. Available from: http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y- politica/140613/jorge-rodriguez-presenta-nuevas-supuestas-pruebas-de-plan-magnicida [Accessed 23 October, 2015]; LA PATILLA. (2014) Cabello presentó nuevas pruebas del supuesto magnicidio. La Patilla. [Online] 12 June. Available from: http://www.lapatilla.com/site/2014/06/12/cabello- presento-nuevas-pruebas-del-supuesto-magnicidio/ [Accessed 23 October, 2015]; MADURADAS. (2014) ¡CUENTO CHIMBO! Diego Arria califica de “invención fantástica” el plan magnicida. Maduradas. [Online] 12 June. Available from: http://www.maduradas.com/cuento-chimbo-diego-arria- califica-de-invencion-fantastica-el-plan-magnicida/ [Accessed 23 October, 2015]