Venezuela secret police imprison political rivals for 'hate speech'

ARGENTINA‘s Corrientes and Santa Fe provinces have declared a health alert due to an alleged Equine Encephalomyelitis (EE) outbreak. EE is said to be transmitted from birds or rodents, and to humans and horses through mosquito bites. Argentina’s National Agri-Food Health and Quality Service (SENASA) announced “immediate, extraordinary, exceptional, and restictive” measures in an official bulletin.

SENASA is preparing to manufacture as many vaccines as possible, “as soon as possible.” Likewise, vaccination certificates against encephalomyelitis, and all its variants, will be required for people participating in events featuring horses.

VENEZUELA: Right-leaning Encuentro Ciudadano Party leader Nelson Piñero this week was charged with “hate crime” for his posts on social media. Venezuela’s Bolivarian National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) intelligence agency broke into his house in the early morning, without prior notice or a search warrant, and took him into custody. According to data from Penal Forum, Piñero is among 270 political prisoners.

Building headquarters of Venezuela secret police SEBIN. Located in Caracas at edge of city in area called Roca Tarpella

Piñero commented on the meeting between Venezuela’s Nicolas Maduro and Colombian president Gustavo Petro: “What would be the talking points between Petro and Maduro in Miraflores? One is a guerilla, kidnaper, and thief, the other a drug trafficker, criminal against humanity, and mega thief,” he wrote. His family does not know his state of his health and was only told that Piñero was detained “for Twitter issues.” His account is now suspended.

SEBIN is known for being the prison of the “enemies” of the Venezuelan regime.

GUATEMALA: The United States Embassy in Guatemala announced the investment of more than $450,000 million by the World Economic Forum-backed United States Agency for International Development (USAID). The aid is allegedly directed to El Salvador, Guatemala, and Honduras to “address the fundamental causes of migration in Central America.”

According to the embassy’s website, “the funding supports programs that increase economic opportunity, promote good governance and transparency, and reduce crime and violence.”

USAID is also part of Central America Forward, led by the U.S. State Department, in collaboration with the non-governmental organization Partnership for Central America (PCA).

ECUADOR: During a meeting at the Guayas College of Physicians, human rights organization Doctors for Life member Dr. Mauricio Quiñonez Mendoza addressed new Health Minister Dr. Franklin Encalada.

Dr. Quiñonez called for laws passed nine years ago to grant official recognition to professionals trained in alternative medicine to be implemented, and to revisit the World Health Organization Pandemic Treaty, saying the WHO wants to use treaty enforcement worldwide to strip nations of their sovereignty, imposing a global Health Ministry.

He also urged the state to take responsibility for people injured by COVID-19 vaccines, and for the government to take steps towards transparency in public health management. Dr. Quiñonez awaits the Health Minister's response.

COLOMBIA’s Health Minister Guillermo Jaramillo last week caused consternation during a debate in Colombia’s parliament, when his statements about COVID-19 vaccines validated the positions of those who had opposed them all along.

Affirming that vaccination was enforced “without the necessary authorization, and those who were injected were part of an experiment.”

He continued: “All the vaccines entered the country without proper authorization; we became an experiment. All Colombians who are vaccinated were used for the greatest experiment that has ever been carried out in the entire history of humanity.”

Colombia’s former health minister and some vaccine approval committee officials rejected the statements, persisting in representing the vaccines as “safe and effective.”

The minister subsequently issued a clarification, saying he was only referring to the experimental phase of mRNA-based vaccines, since the process “did not fully comply with phases 3 and 4 of the scientific method.” Jaramillo stressed that he is not an “anti-vaxxer,” and urged the population to participate in the 5th vaccination event on December 16.

URUGUAY: The Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), the Inter-American Development Bank (IADB), and the World Bank (WB) this week launched the Alliance for Primary Health Care in the Americas in the city of Montevideo. The objective of the alliance is “to boost investment, innovation, and implementation of policies and initiatives aimed at transforming health systems in the region with a focus on primary health care.”

Vice President of Sectors and Knowledge at the IADB Ana María Ibáñez said: “This not only involves the health field, but also other sectors.” World Bank Latin America and the Caribbean Vice President Carlos Felipe Jaramillo asserted that “political commitment and implementing state policies are essential to ensure impact and to benefit people, our primary common goal.”

The three World Economic Forum allies seek to “implement integrated health services, accelerate digital transformation, and develop new medicines and vaccines” in the Americas.

BOLIVIA: The Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (GAVI) has donated 170 computers, delivered by the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) with the objective of strengthening the Expanded Immunization Program (PAI).

The PAI registers and monitors people who are vaccinated through the Electronic Nominal Registry (RNVe), which started in 2018. According to PAHO, “While pilot tests were being carried out and the COVID-19 pandemic occurred, it was used initially for that purpose, but as of this year it was expanded to routine vaccination.” PAHO/WHO’s “Locate to Vaccinate” strategy seeks vaccination coverage for the entire Bolivian population.

The equipment is expected to be used by all health centers where citizens go to get vaccinated: “To contribute to child-to-child monitoring from birth until completion of the vaccination schedule … to provide essential data for monitoring and accountability,” says the PAHO website.

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