January 25

Seven students injured in protests over TV channel shutdown
Seven students from Universidad Santa María (USM), a private university in the state of Anzoátegui (northeastern Venezuela), were injured after the police broke up a demonstration outside the campus.

Roger Millán, president of the University Students' Council at the USM, said that the students were virtually "kidnapped" because the police have banned both people and cars from entering or leaving the USM campus.

The injured students are still in the campus and their health condition is unknown. The mayor of Lecherías, Gustavo Marcano, sent a civil protection team to look after the injured, but they have not been able to enter the university.

The demonstration began at 8:00 a. m. (Venezuela's time). The students were demonstrating against the shutdown of private TV station RCTV Internacional on January 24.

January 26

Students march arrives in state-run TV station VTV
A representation of students arrived in the headquarters of the state-run TV network Venezolana de Televisión (VTV) escorted by Caracas police officers. VTV's legal adviser met with student representatives.

The students arrived at VTV headquarters, located eastern Caracas and they bumped into a group of police officers who blocked the passage.

Students from private universities such as Universidad Santa María, Universidad Católica Andrés Bello, Monteavila, and Universidad Simón Bolívar, participated in the march.

Meanwhile, residents of Los Ruices neighborhood banged on pot and pans while a group of followers of the official party were in the vicinity.

Student demonstration dispersed with tear gas
Followers of the ruling United Socialist Party of Venezuela and opposition-aligned students had reached an agreement to protest in different places of the city, but suddenly police officers used tear gas and pellets to disperse the students.

Both groups had agreed to change the routes of the marches, but members of the ruling party threw bottles, stones and sticks to the dissenting students, who were dispersed by the police with pellets.

Students protesting against President Hugo Chávez sung the national anthem while the police was facing them with water canons.

Student Ronny Belo, of the law faculty at the Andrés Bello Catholic University, was wounded by a stone.

January 27

Human rights watchdog rejects security forces' violence against students
The Venezuelan Program of Education-Action in Human Rights (Provea) issued a statement on January 27 to reject the violence of security forces against the student demonstrations that have taken place in several Venezuelan states in recent days. Provea also condemned the death of two students as a result of violent acts.

Provea said that the government has the responsibility to ensure the security of demonstrators in Venezuela. The human rights organization highlighted that the deaths were not the first case of murders of young students who have protested for several reasons.

Provea urged the Attorney General Office to carry out investigations to clarify the recent deaths of Yosinio Carrillo Torres, 16, and Marcos Rosales, 28, a student at Los Andes University, who died after being allegedly shot by armed civilians.

January 28

Dissenting students continue to demonstrate in Caracas
Students from different Caracas-based universities arrived in the headquarters of the National Electric Corporation (Corpoelec), which was cordoned off by two police brigades.

A senior officer of state-run power supplier Cadafe talked to the dissenting students, who delivered a document outlining a number of petitions.

Among other things, students urged the government to seek advice from academic experts on electric rationing and investments in the energy sector.

They also asked the government to make a consultation with different communities on rationing plans. The document added that temporary water supply cuts should be suspended in the Venezuelan countryside.

The director of Caracas police, Manuel Romero, asked students to remain peaceful and reminded them that government authorities had not authorized the march.

Government to take control of police departments that do not intervene in demonstrations
Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez reported that on January 27 at night student demonstrators threw stones, bottles and Molotov cocktails to the headquarters of the Mechanized Brigade in Lara state and the regional police did not intervene, forcing the National Guard to do so.

He warned that the regional enforcement bodies that do not exercise their authority would be taken over. "There are some people who for some reason think that (demonstrators) should be left alone until they wear themselves out (...) I am referring to the governor of the state of Lara (Henri Falcón). What is going on, governor?" Chávez said he told Falcón on the phone.

"I made a complaint to him and a warning. If the Lara Police Department does not fulfill its functions, I will have to take control of it. I have no problem to do so. I must fulfill my duty. I have the same authority in the states of Lara, Mérida, Zulia, Táchira, no matter who is the local governor. I am the President of the whole Republic," Chávez boasted during an event related to the First Productive Meeting of the Bicentennial Fund, aired in a mandatory broadcast on all TV and radio channels.

Chávez highlighted that Falcón's reasoning about leaving the students alone until they wear themselves out with the excuse that this damages the opposition was used in 2002 and caused the brief overthrow of the government. "We can not allow the violation of any law and let them (demonstrators) block any street. This is illegal," he said.

"Suppose that the police of the state of Aragua apply the same criteria and do not act. We must take over the operations of its police department. I told the Defense Minister (Carlos Mata Figueroa): 'you must use the National Guard and take over the operations of the police department.' If the governor gets mad and goes to the opposition, let him go. In this case, that is not possible," the President stressed. Chávez urged governors and mayors "to enforce laws. I am not referring to repression but to exert authority."

The Venezuelan leader said that some sectors want a civil war to justify the intervention of a "benefactor" empire. Chávez also rejected the protests at baseball games. "They (the opposition) have been struck out eleven times and I will strike them out again in 2013," he said.

In the Palace of Miraflores, Chávez urged the opposition to forget about the possibility that the armed forces could support a coup d'état. "Opposition sectors are provoking it, by shooting at the barracks. There is a whole destabilizing plan (...) Today a rightwing coup d'état is impossible, but a leftist rebellion which deepens the changes is possible, and I could command it. (...) If they force me to do so, I would command it," he said.