This archive report was first published on 17 November 2019.
November 17, 2019, marked a significant day in Venezuela's tumultuous history as President Nicolas Maduro addressed the nation about alleged plots to recruit military officials.
Maduro claimed that the armed forces had thwarted more than 47 attempts to recruit officials to serve the interests of Colombia and the United States.
"There are people in jail because of that. Some gave way and were bought and simply were discovered or intercepted with information from patriotic officials," Maduro said in an interview with private channel Televen.
According to Maduro, the alleged plots involved stealing missiles, sabotaging Sukhoi aircraft and radars, as well as naval torpedoes and missile defense systems.
Foro Penal, a human rights monitor, has reported that there are 399 political prisoners in Venezuela, including 109 members of the military.
Maduro's comments came amidst the backdrop of the resignation of Evo Morales, a close ally of Venezuela's leftist regime, in neighboring Bolivia.
The Venezuelan opposition has taken heart from Morales's departure from power after 14 years, but Maduro remains confident that a similar scenario will not unfold in his country.
"The military will not kneel ever again before the gringos, nor is it ever again going to put itself at the service of the oligarchy of this country," Maduro said.
