Trump Regime Cuts Off Commercial Air Traffic to Venezuela

by Stephen Lendman (stephenlendman.org - Home - Stephen Lendman)

While Bolivarian Republic representatives reportedly are meeting with opposition figures at an undisclosed location in Norway on resolving irreconcilable differences, the Trump regime indefinitely suspended commercial air traffic to and from the US and Venezuela — its latest hostile action, more shoes sure to drop. 

Military intervention is a possible option, madness if ordered by Trump. The same goes for Iran, both countries unable to defeat the US, but are quite able to give it a taste of its own medicine.

Given Trump regime rage for toppling Maduro, eliminating Venezuelan social democracy, and gaining control over its vast oil reserves, chances for anything positive from talks in Norway are virtually nil.

Venezuelan opposition forces take orders from Washington, following the script written for them. Backing off from their regime change agenda isn't an option, hardline tactics to try toppling Maduro sure to continue.

On Wednesday, the Trump regime Homeland Security Department issued the following statement, saying:

Acting DHS secretary Kevin McAleenan "determined that conditions in Venezuela threaten the safety and security of passengers, aircraft, and crew (sic), requiring an immediate suspension of all commercial passenger and cargo flights between the United States and Venezuela."

The Transportation Department issued the order. It's unrelated to the above stated reasons, entirely related to punishing Venezuela and its ordinary people.

Under international law, collective punishment is flagrantly illegal, the law repeatedly breached by the US, NATO, Israel, and their imperial partners.

Pressured by Washington, most foreign airlines suspended operations to and from Venezuela.

Many of its ordinary people reportedly rely on financial and related aid from relatives in the region, the US, and elsewhere abroad, remittances reaching them by airline courier services.

According to Feliciano Reyna, head of the Accion Solidaria NGO, the Trump regime's action "will be a catastrophe for a lot of people" who receive donations from the US.

"This will complicate enormously the transportation of humanitarian aid to the country" — more evidence of the Trump regime's disdain for its ordinary people, going all out to harm them while pretending otherwise.

An earlier FAA order prohibited US aircraft from flying below 26,000 over Venezuelan territory, falsely claiming "safety and security" issues.

War on Venezuela by other means to crush its economy and harm its ordinary people was made in the USA, a separate war waged against courageous Bolivarian embassy protectors in Washington.

After cutting off electricity and water to the facility, along with blocking delivery of food to activists inside, police illegally broke into the embassy, forcing out most of its protectors.

On Thursday, CodePink's Media Benjamin tweeted: "BREAKING NEWS: Police arrested the 4 people remaining in the Venezuela Embassy as part of the #Embassy Protection Collective. Total violation of Vienna Conventions. Shameful!!!"

"We denounce the arrest of the #EmbassyProtectionCollective members who were staying in the Embassy with our permission," say Dep. Foreign Minister Carlos Ron. "We do not authorize any of the coup representatives to enter the Embassy."

The 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations prohibits the action taken, explaining the inviolability of diplomatic premises — not to be entered by anyone without consent of their authorities.

No permission was granted days earlier or Wednesday. Trump regime actions against the embassy and its protectors constitute police state thuggery — how the US operates worldwide.

According to Telesur reporter Jorge Gestoso outside the facility, heavily armed police in military gear entered the embassy's basement where no security cameras are in place to record what happened, Telesur saying:

"This allowed US authorities to make the arrests out of the site of the public and the media."

Police and secret service blocked media from videotaping their hostile actions. It's unclear where the arrested activists were taken or how they're being mistreated.

It's very clear that US war on Venezuela by other means continues, military intervention possible but unlikely because of world community opposition, especially by regional and European countries.

A Final Comment

On May 13, the National Lawyers Guild (NLG) sent a strongly worded letter to Pompeo, the US secret service deputy director, DC police, and UN special rapporteur on the negative impact of the unilateral coercive measures on the enjoyment of human rights, saying:

Venezuelan embassy protectors were invited inside the facility by the nation's legitimate government — recognized by the UN, three-fourths of world community nations, and the rule of law.

The Trump regime's actions are "creating a dangerous precedent for diplomatic relations with all nations. These actions are not only illegal, but they put embassies around the world at risk."

The US is illegally interfering in the internal affairs of the legitimate Venezuelan government.

"Secret Service agents, tasked to protect the inviolability of foreign embassies under the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations…permitt(ed) violent opposition demonstrators to physically attack the Embassy, assault the peaceful invitees and prevent them from entering the Embassy with supplies of food and water."

"Video footage discloses multiple and on-going episodes of mob violence, including physical assaults, theft of food supplies, and the hurling of racist, sexist and homophobic slurs at those expressing to support the peace activists inside the Embassy." 

"The president of Veterans for Peace was tackled, bloodied and arrested by Secret Service agents to prevent him from delivering food to the invitees."

"US law enforcement authorities, including the Secret Service, have allowed the mob outside the Embassy to encircle the building with tents and canopies and place sentinels 24 hours a day at the doors to physically block food from entering the building." 

"They have attempted to break the Embassy doors down or drill through them and have allowed the mob to paper over the outside windows so that those inside cannot see out and protect themselves from attack." 

"Repeatedly, members of the violent opposition have been allowed to break into the building and cause destruction and damage to Embassy property, windows and doorways, as well as threatening the persons inside with death and rape."

"The contempt shown by the Trump (regime) for these principles and for international law puts at risk the entire system of diplomatic relations which could have a reverberating effect in nations throughout the world."

The above viciousness is how all police states operate, flagrantly breaching the rule of law.

Actions by the Trump regime in Venezuela and against its DC embassy protectors is how all police states operate. 

Time and again, the US flagrantly breaches the rule of law at home and abroad — what tyranny is all about.

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