Colombia`s President Juan Manuel Santos remains mute on rising tensions across the border in Venezuela. He has a duty to break this silence and speak out against the apparent tyranny and oppression.
Venezuela`s Chavista regime stands accused of human rights violations, repression, torture, and censorship as it cracks down on nationwide anti-government protests.
Venezuelans took to the streets on 12 February in opposition to an administration that has shredded the economy, lost control of law and order and appears to be on the verge of losing its suffocating 15 year grip on power.
What began as a peaceful protest on Thursday morning soon turned violent as armed civilian groups and police repelled the crowds. Tragically for some, death and imprisonment awaited. Reports of torture and rape later emerged.
Meanwhile, Maduro acted to censor the media. Colombian TV news channel NTN24 was blocked in homes across the nation, while indignados published shocking pictures of beatings and harassment of national and international journalists.
Protesters, now almost entirely reliant on social networks for their news, soon found Twitter images had been disappeared by state forces.
Violations of human rights and of freedom of speech are of course nothing new in the Chavista Venezuela.
Human Rights Watch`s most recent report blames Hugo Chavez for “the accumulation of power in the executive branch and the erosion of human rights guarantees have enabled his government to intimidate, censor, and prosecute Venezuelans who criticize the president or thwart his political agenda”.
But for many, things are even worse under Maduro.
Those now arguing Venezuela is on the way to becoming a fully blown dictatorship are growing in number.
Yes, elections might have been held last year and Maduro won them (though the result itself is contested), but elections do not a democracy make.
Maduro himself brushes off the attacks on his government claiming they are manufactured by a “fascist” opposition, with the help of the USA. Their aim? To provoke civil unrest and bring about a coup de etat.
But more and more are now calling Maduro`s bluff. The Colombian writer Hector Abad asks us who the real fascists are:
“The typical fascist is at the same time a revolutionary and a reactionary. A nationalist, anti-capitalist and populist. He likes to divide the society into friends and enemies, loyalists and traitors… They act like fascists but accuse opponents of fascism”.
For Abad, fascism in Venezuela is just a step away.
All the while, there is a deafening silence from Colombia`s presidential palace.
Any attack on Maduro and Santos risks derailing the peace talks with the FARC guerrillas.
But Santos cannot remain tight-lipped for ever. Unrest is in danger of spiraling out of control. Time to stand up for democracy and freedom, Mr Santos. Time to speak up for Venezuela.
Kevin Howlett
Kevin is a political consultant and lobbyist who cut his teeth working in the UK Parliament. He is a regular panelist on Colombian television, a political communication strategist and a university lecturer. Kevin is the founder and editor of Colombia Politics.