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ePaper created 2015-11-10, 17:27:36 | version 1.33.00
REDACTED Page 78 of 190 These pro government armed paramilitaries have been operating in several slum districts (barrios) in Caracas318 and in other locations around the country where they regroup themselves under bigger organized groups perpetrating crimes. It has been reported that the Police cannot access the areas operated by the pro government armed paramilitaries without their authorisation.319 These groups have been known to organise themselves into bigger associations. A few of them include Frente Popular Revolucionario (which includes 34 pro government armed paramilitary groups), Consejo Popular Revolucionario (which includes 28 pro government armed paramilitary groups), Bloque Popular Revolucionario (which includes 17 pro government armed paramilitary groups), Sergio Rodríguez (which includes 70 pro government armed paramilitary groups) and the Secretariado Revolucionario (which includes 102 pro government armed paramilitary groups). These paramilitary corps get further funding through diverse forms of crime, such as extortion, drug trafficking, car theft among others and they operate with under the protection of the GoV which turns a blind eye to their crimes.320 In addition some of them have specific responsibilities listed on the website of the USPV. It is estimated that there are 13,000 of these UBCh groups across Venezuela, one for each of the electoral centres in Venezuela and each one have a patrol boss.321 According to a leading member of the USPV, the UBCh gather about 547,000 individuals, organized in four regions in the country, and have the capacity to respond very promptly to GoV’s orders.322 The UBCh as an organization was originally created as a social organization with electoral purposes, but their purpose is now to “defend the achievement of revolution and fight the enemies of the homeland in any field” country.” See: EL UNIVERSAL. (2014) Varela: Colectivos son el pilar para la defensa de la patria; also see: EL NACIONAL. (2014) Varela: Colectivos somos pilar fundamental para la defensa de la patria. 317 IACHR. (2009) Democracy and Human Rights in Venezuela. p.205; Furthermore, as an example of the relationship between the Government and this paramilitary groups, the Penitentiary Services Secretary, Iris Valera twitted “we, the colectivos, are the fundamental pillar of the defence of the country.” See: EL UNIVERSAL. (2014) Varela: Colectivos son el pilar para la defensa de la patria; also see: EL NACIONAL. (2014) Varela: Colectivos somos pilar fundamental para la defensa de la patria. 318 VON BERGEN, F. (2014) Los colectivos y el poder 319 IACHR. (2009) Democracy and Human Rights in Venezuela. paras. 41 & 776 320 INTERNATIONAL CRISIS GROUP. (2011) Violence and Politics in Venezuela. p.18 321 AVN. (2014) Over 13,000 UBCh ready for PSUV Congress. Agencia Venezolana de Noticias. [Online] 3 July. Available from: http://www.avn.info.ve/contenido/over-13000-ubch-ready-psuv-congress [Accessed 11 September, 2015]; NOTICIAS24. (2015) Masiva movilización: más de 13.000 Ubch se han postulado para las elecciones internas del PSUV. Noticias 24. [Online] 20 April. Available from: http://www.noticias24.com/venezuela/noticia/281153/cabello-informo-que-mas-de-13-000-ubch-se- han-postulado-para-elecciones-internas-del-psuv/ [Accessed 11 September, 2015] 322 EL NACIONAL. (2014) ¿Cómo se activaría el “Contrataque fulminante”? El Nacional. [Online] 17 February. Available from: http://www.el-nacional.com/politica/activaria-ataque- fulminante_0_357564498.html [Accessed 28 August, 2015]