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The Venezuelan journalist and cyber activist Luis Carlos Díaz published a series of reflections in which he directly holds Chavismo responsible for the collapse of the humanitarian framework that is now hindering the response to the two earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 that shook Venezuela on June 24, the most powerful recorded in the country's history.
"We are paying the price for Jorge Rodríguez, the AN, and chavismo in general having targeted humanitarian organizations with the 'Citgo Report' of 2024, which resulted in the dissolution of several NGOs and the exile of many of their directors and workers," wrote Díaz on Facebook.
Díaz precisely enumerates the regime's decisions that left the country without the capacity for humanitarian response.
The so-called "Citgo Report," presented by the Chavista National Assembly to prosecutor Tarek William Saab in October 2024, accused various NGOs of receiving funds from foundations linked to the Citgo scheme, which resulted in the closure of organizations and the exile of specialized technicians who are now needed on the ground.
This is complemented by the NGO Oversight Law approved in 2024, which according to Díaz "leaves tens of thousands of social organizations in limbo as they are prevented from having a valid registry because they have basically been obstructed by bureaucracy and political discrimination."
The journalist also reports that chavismo "imprisoned foreign humanitarian workers and tortured them in the Rodeo I prison to extort other countries such as Italy and Colombia," a pattern documented in the case of Colombian worker Manuel Tique from the Danish Refugee Council, who was detained in September 2025 and held in that same prison.
Another blow to the humanitarian system was the judicial intervention of the Venezuelan Red Cross ordered by the Supreme Court of Justice in August 2023, which ousted its legitimate president and imposed a board aligned with the regime. This measure was rejected by 242 organizations and severely damaged the organization's international reputation.
Díaz also warns that some UN offices "had to hire former public officials from the PSUV in order to 'have communication with the authorities,'" which compromised their independence and turned those spaces into extensions of the Chavista bureaucracy.
The control of currency exchange and the directives to the banking system and the Seniat to aggressively oversee NGOs complete the picture of obstacles facing international aid, while over 1,600 rescuers from 16 countries attempt to operate in a hostile environment and the United States has authorized 150 million dollars in assistance.
The reporter noted that the earthquakes occurred in an area already facing a complex humanitarian crisis, and that millions of people are helping, with the international community trying to act without having supplies stolen.
"At the same time, the allies of the Rodríguez brothers are trying to use all of this tragedy to strengthen their authoritarianism and remain in power indefinitely," he specified.
For Díaz, the regime's intention is clear: “In the narrative of the dictatorship (and its allies), there is an appeal to both neutrality and non-politicization, because they want to crush any attempt to democratize the country and suppress dissent, using the humanitarian tragedy as an excuse.”
"That is why chavismo maintains censorship and continues to hinder the efforts of those who want to help. Anything that does not benefit their control of power is not allowed," he emphasized.
The official toll of the tragedy so far amounts to 920 dead and 3,360 injured, according to Jorge Rodríguez, president of the National Assembly, while the UN estimates that up to 50,000 people may be missing and that 6.76 million have been affected.
The United States Geological Survey (USGS) calculated a 42% probability that the final death toll will be between 10,000 and 100,000 fatalities, a figure that reflects the magnitude of the catastrophe and the fragility of Venezuelan structures.
Before the earthquakes, the UN was already providing assistance to around eight million Venezuelans, and 7.9 million had left the country since 2015, making this catastrophe an emergency that overlaps with another emergency that the chavismo has never resolved.
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