The case of a mother from Aragua State, in central Venezuela, who reported having been forced to take along her son with severe autism to get to refill a domestic gas cylinder, has escalated to worrying levels. After her complaint went viral on social media, the woman claims to be the victim of intimidation , pressure and threats from both officials and people linked to the government.
lapatilla.com
In a recent video posted on her social media, the mother reported that she has received warnings disguised as advice: “You are prettier when you keep quiet,” (In a famous Venezuela TV novela, the main woman character was thus threatened by the chief of police) she said they have told her, which has aroused fear in her for her safety and that of her family.
She also said that after receiving a summons from the 37th Prosecutor’s Office to testify about the case, she was visited at home by a person who informed her that the official involved in the altercation was trying to contact her because he would supposedly be sanctioned. Shortly after, the woman was notified of a “visit from the mayor’s office”, which she categorically rejected. “I don’t want to know anything about the mayor’s office, or the prosecutor’s office. I just want to be left alone.”
According to her testimony, she was offered immediate help such as medicine, food and gas “at her doorstep” but she pointed out that in order to access government benefits, such as the disability bonus of just 3 dollars a month, she has been forced to join the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) and attend marches and political rallies.
The mother also reported that a person linked to the government suggested that she stop publishing critical content about the Venezuelan reality. “That person tells me: you already have your followers, keep making your content and ask for (monetary) support so they can give it to you.” However, she made it clear that she does not monetize her social media. “Everyone knows that I started this to show how the rights of disabled people are violated in this country,” she reiterated.
Finally, she said that when her mother went to pick up the gas cylinder, there were officers from the Mariño Police and the Director of the Inspectorate, which she described as an act of intimidation. “Now the police are going to come to my house because I posted a video about a cylinder that they didn’t want to sell me. That’s why they apply this psychological terror to you,” she concluded, noticeably affected by the situation.