I send you the greetings of Peace and Good that humanity and the peoples living in poverty, conflict, war, and hunger so desperately need. This open letter is to express your feelings and share some thoughts.
I was surprised by the Nobel Committee's nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize. It reminded me of the struggles against dictatorships on the continent and in my country, the military dictatorships we endured between 1976 and 1983. We suffered imprisonment, torture, and exile, with thousands of children missing, kidnapped, and lost, and the death flights, of which I am a survivor.
In 1980, the Nobel Committee awarded me the Nobel Peace Prize; 45 years have passed, and we continue working in service to the poorest and alongside the peoples of Latin America. I accepted this high distinction on behalf of all of them, not for the Prize itself, but for my commitment to the people who share the struggles and hopes of building a new dawn. Peace is built day by day, and we must be consistent between our words and our actions.
At 94, I'm still constantly learning, and I'm concerned about your position and your social and political decisions. That's why I'm sending you these thoughts.
The Venezuelan government is a democracy with its ups and downs. Hugo Chávez paved the way for freedom and sovereignty for the people and fought for continental unity; he was an awakening of the Great Homeland. The United States constantly attacked him: it cannot allow any country on the continent to escape its colonial orbit and dependence; it continues to maintain that Latin America is its "backyard." The US blockade of Cuba, which has lasted more than 60 years, is an attack on the freedom and rights of the people. The resistance of the Cuban people is an example of dignity and strength.
I'm surprised at how you cling to the United States: you must know that it has no allies or friends, only interests. The dictatorships imposed in Latin America were instrumentalized by their interests of domination and destroyed the lives and social, cultural, and political organization of the peoples fighting for their freedom and self-determination. We, the people, resist and fight for the right to be free and sovereign, and not a colony of the United States.
Nicolás Maduro's government is under threat from the United States and the blockade. Just consider the naval forces in the Caribbean and the danger of an invasion of your country. You haven't said a word, or you support the great power's interference against Venezuela. The Venezuelan people are ready to confront the threat.
Corina, I ask you. Why did you call on the United States to invade Venezuela? When you received the announcement that you had been awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, you dedicated it to Trump. The aggressor against your country who lies and accuses Venezuela of being a drug trafficker, a lie similar to that of George Bush, who accused Saddam Hussein of having "weapons of mass destruction." A pretext to invade Iraq, plunder it, and cause thousands of victims, women and children. I was in the children's hospital in Baghdad at the end of the war and saw the destruction and deaths perpetrated by those who proclaim themselves defenders of freedom. The worst form of violence is a lie.
Don't forget, Corina, that Panama was invaded by the United States, which caused death and destruction in order to capture a former ally, General Noriega. The invasion left 1,200 dead in Los Chorrillos. Today, the United States is trying to seize the Panama Canal again. It's a long list of interventions and pain in Latin America and the world by the United States. The veins of Latin America are still open, as Eduardo Galeano said.
I'm concerned that you didn't dedicate the Nobel Prize to your people, but rather to the aggressor in Venezuela. I think, Corina, you need to analyze and understand where you stand: whether you're just another cog in the United States' colonial system, subject to its dominating interests, which can never be for the good of your people. As an opponent of the Maduro government, your positions and choices generate a lot of uncertainty. You're resorting to the worst when you call for the United States to invade Venezuela.
The important thing is to keep in mind that building peace requires great strength and courage for the good of your people, whom I know and love deeply. Where once there were shanties in the hills where people survived in poverty and destitution, today there are decent housing, healthcare, education, and culture. The dignity of the people cannot be bought or sold.
Corina, as the poet says: "Walker, there is no path, the path is made by walking." Now you have the opportunity to work for your people and build peace, not provoke greater violence. One evil is not resolved with another, greater evil. We will only have two evils and never a solution to the conflict.
Open your mind and heart to dialogue, to the encounter with your people, empty the jug of violence, and build peace and unity among your people so that the light of freedom and equality may enter.
Cubadebate (Taken from Página 12)
