PARADISE LOST: Venezuela’s Maduro ‘JAILING' Military Leaders, Fears Assassination

Originally published at: PARADISE LOST: Venezuela’s Maduro ‘JAILING’ Military Leaders, Fears Assassination | Sean Hannity

Venezuela’s socialist President Nicolas Maduro is reportedly “torturing and jailing” senior members of his own military; fearing an impending coup after years of economic collapse and political chaos.

“Amid fears of military coups and assassination plots, the Venezuelan government has increasingly been detaining and torturing military personnel and their families, a new report finds. The increased abuses against the armed forces — one of the linchpins of President Nicolás Maduro’s political survival — underscore the challenges he’ll face as he begins a new six-year term on Thursday,” writes the Miami Herald.

The report -released this week by Human Rights Watch- cites at least 36 incidents where senior military members or their families were abruptly arrested.

“The Venezuelan government has brutally cracked down on members of the military accused of plotting against it,” writes the report. “Not only are intelligence agents detaining and torturing members of the military, in some cases they are also going after their families or other civilians when they can’t find the suspects.”

Read the full report at the Miami Herald.