Hugo “el Pollo” Carvajal, former head of Venezuela’s Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence (Dgcim), has revealed in a statement to the International Criminal Court (CPI) that orders to repress protests in 2014 and 2017 came directly from Nicolás Maduro, who is currently detained in the United States facing accusations of drug trafficking.
Allegations of Direct Orders
According to audios revealed by journalist David Placer, Carvajal described two methods of protest control in Venezuela: a formal approach using law enforcement agencies, and an informal approach utilizing criminal organizations and paramilitary groups. The formal control involves the Policía Nacional Bolivariana (PNB) and, when necessary, the Guardia Nacional Bolivariana (GNB).
Carvajal stated that despite an existing office for managing public order, Maduro made all final decisions while in office, communicating directly with both the PNB and GNB to redirect public order actions. He alleges that Maduro publicly communicated a strategy to repress any protest, regardless of consequences, to demonstrate his power.
The protests of 2014 and 2017 were not simply controlled, but “suffocated and finished” without regard for human life, according to Carvajal. He referenced the phrase “candelita que se prende, candelita que se apaga” (“a little light that ignites, a little light that goes out”) as a direct order for violent suppression of protests.
Carvajal further alleges that then-Minister Néstor Reverol (currently Diosdado Cabello holds the position of Minister of Interior) ordered the director of the Cicpc to conduct forensic investigations to incriminate protestors and their leaders, while exonerating law enforcement.
Informal Control Mechanisms
Carvajal indicated that Maduro created numerous illegal mechanisms to neutralize protests, which he categorized into two groups: the irregular use of intelligence and security agencies—Sebin, Dgcim, Conas, and FAES—and the use of coordinated armed groups with various political operators.
Carvajal characterized these policies as a generalized and systematic attack against the Venezuelan population for political reasons, stating Maduro’s objective was to maintain power at all costs. This strategy, according to Carvajal, included electoral fraud, the use of force, encouraging migration, and persecuting political leaders through imprisonment, exile, or even elimination.
He emphasized that illegal orders within the regime were always given verbally, and that proving such actions would require testimonies accessible to the prosecution.
Carvajal, drawing on his experience of over seven years leading Venezuelan military intelligence under both Hugo Chávez and Nicolás Maduro, testified that no minister would authorize deaths during protests, even accidental ones, without the president’s direct order.
Frequently Asked Questions
What years did Carvajal allege protests were directly ordered to be repressed?
Carvajal specifically mentioned protests in 2014 and 2017 as being subject to direct orders for repression from Nicolás Maduro.
What two types of protest control did Carvajal describe?
Carvajal described a “formal” control using law enforcement and an “informal” control executed by criminal organizations and paramilitary groups.
According to Carvajal, how were orders for illegal actions typically given within the regime?
Carvajal stated that all illegal orders were given verbally, never in writing.
Given these allegations, what impact might this testimony have on international perceptions of the Venezuelan government and its leadership?
