None of those arrested so far under Operation Mano de Hierro have been politicians of real influence, despite credible claims of corruption at the highest levels of government. Rather, this operation falls in line with a historical strategy of using high-profile operations to hide the government’s inability – or unwillingness – to combat organized crime. Full Text-> InSightCrime

Traducción de cortesía-> Ninguno de los arrestados hasta ahora en el marco de la Operación Mano de Hierro ha sido un político de verdadera influencia, a pesar de las afirmaciones creíbles de corrupción en los niveles más altos del gobierno. Más bien, esta operación está en línea con una estrategia histórica de utilizar operaciones de alto perfil para ocultar la incapacidad del gobierno, o la falta de voluntad, para combatir el crimen organizado. Traducción al español -> Google Translación

Cabello, who regularly makes accusations of opponents from his television program that end in arbitrary imprisonment, promised to empty the police cells in a month, whose detainees almost equal the population that is in formal prisons, in worse prison conditions – without food or access to drinking water and medical services — and increased overcrowding.  Full Text -> MarketResearchTelecast

What’s really extraordinary is that we aren’t more violent and that we solve some conflicts in a rational way, when we’re in a country where the justice system is out of reach or doesn’t work. By Andrés Becerra. Full Text-> Caracas Chronicles

The UNHRC argues the lack of judicial independence explains why judges and prosecutors are unable or unwilling to curtail a variety of rights abuses. These include forced disappearances by security forces to gender-based violence and extrajudicial killings of indigenous leaders in the Arco Minero del Orinoco region, where organized crime groups battle for control of the lucrative illegal gold-mining trade.  By Will Freeman. Full Text -> The Global Americans

The independence of Venezuela’s justice system has been “considerably undermined”, fuelling impunity and human rights violations, the UN rights chief charged Tuesday in a report. The 15-page document by Michelle Bachelet, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, was commissioned in September by the UN Human Rights Council and is to be presented before the body on Wednesday. Full Text-> Yahoo!News