On January 23, Venezuela’s opposition party held nation-wide protests against President Nicolas Maduro, who had just been sworn in for a second term. Over the past few years, the Maduro government has been sharply criticized for brutally crushing street protests and jailing opposition leaders. Maduro won re-election in 2018, but most international observers said the election was fraudulent, especially since most opposition candidates boycotted the poll. So after Maduro was sworn in for a second term, the Venezuelan opposition, reportedly backed by the United States, decided to challenge his right to power.
On January 23, the opposition announced that President Maduro was failing to meet his duties as president. The opposition then declared that Juan Guaido, the president of the country’s National Assembly, would take over as president of Venezuela until new elections can be held. Guaido was sworn in as the country’s interim president at a mash-shift outdoor ceremony. The United States has already recognized Guaido as the interim president of Venezuela, as have many Latin American countries. France and the UK have said they will also recognize Guaido as the interim president unless Nicolas Maduro holds a new election within eight days. Meanwhile, the Maduro government — backed by China, Russia, and others — says it is the victim of a US-backed coup.
On January 26, Venezuela’s top military attache to the United States, Jose Luis Silva, announced that he was defecting from the Maduro government and that he recognizes the opposition leader, Juan Guaido, as the legitimate president of Venezuela. Silva said, “Today I speak to the people of Venezuela, and especially to my brothers in the armed forces of the nation, to recognize President Juan Guaido as the only legitimate president.”
Here’s what you need to know about Jose Luis Silva:
1. Maduro’s Administration Denounced Silva as a ‘Traitor’ After He Announced He Was Backing Guaido
Subordinarse ante los intereses internacionales es un acto de traición y cobardía con la Patria heredada por nuestro Libertador Simón Bolívar, por ello, repudiamos las declaraciones por parte del Cnel. Jose Luis Silva Silva, quien desempeñaba cargo como Agregado Militar en EEUU.
After Jose Luis Silva announced he was defecting from the Maduro government, the administration fired back. The Venezuelan defense ministry tweeted out a screenshot of Silva’s video message, with the word “traidor,” or “traitor” emblazoned across his face in big red letters.
“Insubordination in the face of international interests is an act of treason and cowardice with the fatherland inherited from our liberator Simon Bolivar. As such, we reject the declarations made by Col. Jose Luis Silva Silva, who was acting as military attaché in the United States,” the defense ministry wrote on Twitter.
Silva, meanwhile, told VOA that in Venezuela there is no true liberty, because, he said, there is no separation of powers; Silva said that since both the judiciary and the military are controlled by the executive power, Venezuela cannot be considered a true democracy.
2. Silva was Appointed by Maduro & Was First Posted to Washington 5 Years Ago
Colonel Silva was appointed by Nicolas Maduro in 2014 to serve as military attaché at the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington. Silva kept a low profile until recently, when he made headlines around the world by announcing he was defecting from the Maduro government. In a video released this week, Silva said he recognized opposition leader Jose Guaido as the legitimate president of Venezuela; he also called on his fellow military members to support Guaido.
Before this week, Silva stayed out of the headlines. When he did get on camera, it was for patriotic, pro-government speeches. He can be seen here in 2014, talking about a new statue of Venezuela’s liberation hero, Simon Bolivar.
3. Silva Called on Venezuela’s Military to Join Him in Recognizing Guaido
#ATENCIÓN El agregado militar en la embajada de Venezuela en Washington, coronel José Luis Silva, desconoció a Nicolás Maduro para ofrecer su apoyo a Juan Guaidó como presidente encargado de Venezuela.
(video cortesía) t.co/8tTpToVTIV
Silva told Reuters that the “top brass” of Venezuela’s military has been holding most of the country’s military “hostage.” But he called on members of the armed forces to join him in rejecting the Maduro administration. “The top brass of the military and the executive branch are holding the armed forces hostage. There are many, many who are unhappy,” Silva said. “My message to the armed forces is, ‘Don’t mistreat your people.’ We were given arms to defend the sovereignty of our nation. They never, never trained us to say, ‘This is for you to attack your people, to defend the current government in power.”
He urged the military to think about how badly the government is hurting ordinary people — including many military families. “Enough! Leave aside the illegal control of our territory and the executive power. The leaders have become millionaires on the backs of the people,” he said. “Captains, commanders: Think about everyone who suffers. Don’t forget that your wives also can’t find milk for your children. Don’t forget that your mothers and fathers also can’t find pills for their [blood] pressure.”
“Enough already! Let’s recognize the man who under the law is the true president of Venezuela, Juan Guaidó,” he said.
4. Silva Said Several Other Venezuelan Diplomats in the US Also Back the Opposition
Silva told Reuters that at least two Venezuelan consular officials — one based in Houston, and one based in another, unnamed city — also recognize Guaido. He did not give names of the officials.
Venezuela has started pulling some of its diplomats out of the United States. Maduro had asked the United States to pull all of its diplomats out of Venezuela, but later said that they would allow the US to leave some diplomats in the country. The two countries seemed to be moving towards an agreement to replace their embassies with “special interest” offices, like the “special interest” sections that the US and Cuba once used to maintain diplomacy.
5. Guaido Said He ‘Welcomes’ Silva & Praised His ‘Honesty”
Juan Guaido, who has been sworn in by the opposition as the interim president of Venezuela, took to Twitter to say that he “welcomed” Jose Luis Silva. When run through Google translate, Guaido’s tweet reads, “I was able to see and take note of the message sent by Colonel José Luis Silva Silva, military attaché of the Venezuelan Embassy in Washington. Before that we welcome him and all who honestly want to adhere to the Constitution and the will of the Venezuelan people.”