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Colectivo (Venezuela)

Colectivos
CountryVenezuela
IdeologyBolivarianism
Chavismo
Socialism
Political positionFar-left
Means of revenueBolivarian Government of Venezuela
Allies
Opponents
Preceded by
Bolivarian Circles

Colectivos ([ko.lek'ti.βos], lit. 'collectives') are far-left Venezuelan armed paramilitary groups that support the Bolivarian government, the Great Patriotic Pole (GPP) political alliance and Venezuela's ruling party, and the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV).[1][2][3] Colectivo has become an umbrella term for irregular armed groups that operate in poverty-stricken areas.[1][3][4]

The term may also refer to a community organization with any shared purpose, such as a neighborhood group that organizes social events.[4] Some colectivos began by doing community work or helping with social programs in barrios,[1][5] and their members said they promoted democracy, political activism and culture.[2]

As of 2019, there are dozens of colectivos in Venezuela.[1] In 2018, InSight Crime reported 46 groups in one barrio (slum), 23 de Enero, alone.[6] By 2017, they operate in 16 Venezuelan states,[3] controlling about 10% of Venezuelan cities.[7] Some personnel of Venezuela's intelligence agencies, including the Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence and the Bolivarian Intelligence Service, are also members of colectivos.[8] Colectivos have both legal and illegal funding sources.[6] They were initially funded by the Bolivarian government;[8] some receive funds to distribute government food packages[6] and have access to government "slush funds".[4] Others have been funded by extortion, black-market food and the drug trade.[7][9]

Human Rights Watch described colectivos as "armed gangs who use violence with impunity" to harass political opponents of the Venezuelan government.[10][11] Amnesty International calls them "armed pro-government supporters who are tolerated or supported by the authorities".[12] Colectivos have attacked anti-government protesters[1] and Venezuelan opposition television staff, sent death threats to journalists, and once tear-gassed the Vatican envoy.[10] Through violence and intimidation, by 2019 colectivos increasingly became a means of quashing the opposition and maintaining political power;[9][13] Maduro called on them during the 2019 Venezuelan blackouts.[14][15]

An Organization of American States report on human rights violations in Venezuela stated that colectivos murdered at least 131 individuals between 2014 and 2017 during anti-government protests.[16] The opposition-led National Assembly of Venezuela designated the colectivos as terrorist groups due to their "violence, paramilitary actions, intimidation, murders and other crimes," declaring their acts as state-sponsored terrorism.[17]

On 16 September 2020, the United Nations Independent International Fact-Finding Mission on Venezuela concluded in its first report that Venezuelan authorities and colectivos committed "violations amounting to crimes against humanity".[18] The same year, the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court stated that it believed there was a "reasonable basis" to believe that "since at least April 2017, civilian authorities, members of the armed forces and pro-government individuals have committed the crimes against humanity".[19][20]

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  1. ^ a b c d e Rosati, Andrew (26 February 2019). "Maduro's masked thugs unleash terror along the Venezuelan border". Bloomberg. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Así operan los 'colectivos', las fuerzas paramilitares chavistas de Venezuela" [This is how the 'collectives', the Venezuelan Chavista paramilitary forces, operate]. El Pais. 23 February 2014. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  3. ^ a b c "The Armed Groups Propping Up Venezuela's Government". InSight Crime. 1 March 2019. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  4. ^ a b c Gurney, Kyra. "Venezuela's Leftist Collectives: Criminals or Revolutionaries?". InSight Crime. Archived from the original on 26 November 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  5. ^ "Venezuela's Tupamaros on the side of the law". San Francisco Gate. 16 November 2008. Retrieved 5 April 2014.
  6. ^ a b c Cite error: The named reference Devolution was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  7. ^ a b Torres, Patricia and Nicholas Casey (22 April 2017). "Armed civilian bands in Venezuela prop up unpopular president". The New York Times. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  8. ^ a b Cite error: The named reference MafiaState was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ a b Sheridan, Mary Beth and Mariana Zuñiga (14 March 2019). "Maduro's muscle: Motorcycle gangs known as 'colectivos' are the enforcers for Venezuela's authoritarian leader". Sun Sentinel. The Washington Post. Retrieved 14 March 2019.
  10. ^ a b Wallis, Dan (13 February 2014). "Venezuela violence puts focus on militant 'colectivo' groups". Reuters. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  11. ^ Tapia Reynolds, Gioconda (28 October 2014). "Venezuela marcada por la violencia". Voice of America. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
  12. ^ "Nights of terror: Attacks and illegal raids on homes in Venezuela" (PDF). Amnesty International. 2017. Retrieved 28 February 2019.
  13. ^ Taylor, Luke (25 April 2019). "Maduro turns to violent 'mercenary' colectivos to maintain order". Public Radio International. Retrieved 2 May 2019.
  14. ^ Phillips, Tom (12 March 2019). "US pulls all staff from Venezuela as Maduro blames blackout on 'demonic' Trump plot". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 March 2019.
  15. ^ Phillips, Tom (1 April 2019). "Venezuela: Maduro calls on armed groups to keep order amid electricity rationing". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 1 April 2019.
  16. ^ "OAS says to present evidence of Venezuela rights violations to The Hague". Reuters. Retrieved 30 May 2018.
  17. ^ "AN declaró como terroristas a los colectivos" [NA declares colectivos terrorists]. Prensa AN (Press release) (in Spanish). National Assembly of Venezuela. 2 April 2019. Archived from the original on 4 April 2019. Retrieved 9 April 2019.
  18. ^ "Venezuela: Justice Needed for Systematic Abuses". Human Rights Watch. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 17 November 2023.
  19. ^ "ICC prosecutor sees 'reasonable basis' to believe Venezuela committed crimes against humanity". Reuters. 14 December 2020. Retrieved 12 May 2021.
  20. ^ Prosecution request to resume the investigation into the situation in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela I pursuant to article 18(2) (PDF). International Criminal Court: Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court. 1 November 2022. p. 37. Retrieved 15 November 2023. The Prosecution determined that there was a reasonable basis to believe that, since at least April 2017, members of the State security forces, civilian authorities and pro-government individuals (members of pro-governmental groups called colectivos) may have committed the crimes against humanity

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