Captured president, divided nation: Venezuela on edge — People & Power Documentary

[0:00] My name is Julio Millar, I have 68 years old. [0:10] I am a brave revolutionary and I am painting the walls. [0:21] The 3rd of January, at 2am, I woke up by two explosions. [0:25] I immediately realized that they were attacking my country. [0:32] When I saw the first photo, the body fell off of the indignation and the rage. [0:43] He makes the first signal of tranquility. [0:50] When, even with my hands, he made the signal of Juntos Venceremos. [0:57] This means, we are good, we are good, I am with you, we are going to victory. [1:09] And that inspired me to draw that signal on all the walls of Caracas. [1:14] Julio has been painting murals for decades. [1:49] He now leads a collective of revolutionary artists painting their rallying symbol across Venezuela's capital. [1:57] Hey, how are you? How are you? [2:00] Hello, my love. How are you? [2:02] Our love, our appreciation for being president. [2:05] And we wanted to become part of the youth that supports it. [2:10] Well, as a youth, we have gone all these days to the street. [2:14] Everything possible to return to our president. [2:17] Both young and old are coming out to denounce the capture of Nicolás Maduro and his wife. [2:29] What are you doing right now? [2:31] We want them back. [2:33] We want them back, okay. [2:35] For years, only pro-government slogans like those painted by Julio and his friends have been tolerated. [2:45] But now, they're being openly and loudly challenged. [2:52] We were leaving. [2:54] They were out of the face. [2:55] They didn't have happened to the moment. [2:58] How many United militars have died? [3:00] None of you are alive. [3:01] None of you! [3:02] You are wrong with me. [3:03] You are wrong with me. [3:06] Poor man defending as rich man. [3:08] I'm afraid of him from the right wing. [3:12] You are afraid of their rights. [3:13] You are not afraid of them. [3:14] Right wing. [3:15] You are fascist. [3:17] There's my question, and I'm still asking [3:19] what happened after my death, [3:21] what happened when the socorros were lifted? [3:24] Look, brother, Venezuela [3:26] and Latin America [3:28] have to be a country anti-imperialist, [3:30] anti-Western. [3:32] There's my question, [3:34] what happened? [3:36] Look, look, [3:38] doubt is [3:40] traicionar. [3:42] To doubt is to betray. [3:46] It's a slogan the government [3:48] has hammered home in recent months. [3:52] You're a traitor. [3:54] You shouldn't be a Venezuelan [3:58] or have the Venezuelan flag. [4:08] Julvio and his friends [4:11] are convinced they will win [4:13] the battle. [4:15] It's very difficult [4:18] to not return to Maduro [4:20] any revolutionary [4:23] will assume [4:25] the same responsibilities. [4:27] That's already written. [4:29] Do you not fear that Trump [4:31] take the power of this country? [4:33] No, impossible. [4:35] Impossible. [4:37] We're preparing for the arrival [4:39] of Nicolás Maduro. [4:44] After Maduro and his wife were captured [4:46] by U.S. forces, their supporters [4:48] took to the streets, often gathering [4:50] the presidential palace. [4:57] Everyone here pays tribute to the president [4:59] in their own way. [5:08] Alvaro dances to the soundtrack [5:10] of Maduro's last election campaign. [5:17] In July 2024, [5:19] Nicolás Maduro was re-elected [5:21] after a highly contested election. [5:26] Running against him was Edmundo González. [5:28] The liberal opposition candidate [5:30] was forced into exile [5:32] that he described as widespread electoral fraud. [5:34] But Maduro's supporters [5:37] see González and his opposition party [5:39] as U.S. puppets, [5:41] tasked with bringing down [5:43] the socialist regime. [5:45] This is a fight of class. [5:47] This is to be able to emancipate [5:49] to the Venezuelan class [5:51] of the Venezuelan class. [5:54] I passed by all the feelings [5:56] like all our country. [5:58] I passed by the consternation, [6:00] the regret, [6:02] the sadness, [6:04] the fury. [6:06] And now that is carried out [6:08] in mobilization, [6:10] in action, [6:11] in revolution, [6:12] to return [6:16] to our president. [6:18] Two of the regime's [6:24] most senior figures [6:26] make a public appearance. [6:28] Nicolás Maduro's son [6:30] and Diosdado Cabello, [6:33] the interior minister. [6:56] The crowd calls him Papa. [6:58] A longtime ally of Maduro, [6:59] he's seen as one of the most powerful men [7:01] in Venezuela. [7:03] The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration [7:05] has put a $25 million bounty [7:07] on Cabello's head. [7:10] He's been accused of enforcing the crackdown [7:12] on anyone criticizing Maduro's government. [7:14] Cabello founded the powerful paramilitary forces. [7:43] Tens of thousands of men [7:46] who are set to be ready to give their lives [7:48] to defend the revolution. [7:52] They've called the political organizations [7:54] of this country to pronounce everything [7:56] and keep us alert. [7:58] Alert. [8:00] Just days after [8:02] Nicolás Maduro's capture by U.S. forces, [8:04] they were deployed across the capital. [8:06] Maduro's capture has unsettled the militias. [8:19] They continue to patrol the streets of the capital. [8:23] Most of them refuse to be filmed. [8:26] But we convinced a motorcycle unit [8:30] to let us follow them on their daily rounds. [8:37] We've formed a group of companions. [8:41] They begin their patrol with a tribute to Simón Bolivar, [8:55] the father of Venezuela's independence. [8:59] We're not going to die on the knees [9:02] or to any imperial. [9:03] We continue in union, [9:05] as a collective, revolutionary. [9:07] These militia groups are known as colectivos, [9:14] the government's informal armed wing. [9:16] Opposition figures accuse them [9:20] of serious human rights abuses, [9:22] including arbitrary arrests [9:24] and political repression. [9:42] Their power goes far beyond that of the police. [9:50] If the political opposition tries to march tomorrow, [10:02] how would you react to them? [10:03] We can't allow them to come a group of [10:07] evil, [10:14] of traicioners to the country, [10:19] that they go to the people. [10:21] They go to the power. [10:23] They go to the power. [10:25] How do you feel? [10:26] How do you feel? [10:27] How do you feel? [10:28] How do you feel? [10:29] Those intelligence services have been accused of crimes [10:33] against humanity by the United Nations, [10:34] including torture [10:35] and sexual violence. [10:48] In the neighborhood of Santa Rosa, [11:13] When Nicolás Maduro was captured, he sprang into action. [11:34] Along with his fellow militiamen, he has been preparing for potential urban guerrilla warfare. [11:53] But he says his organization mainly focuses on social work, one of the pillars of the revolution. [12:32] Yonel founded this boxing club five years ago. [12:47] The neighborhood used to be run by drug gangs, with people living here constantly exposed to violence. [13:09] Gilder Morales has been training here for five years. His dream is to become a professional boxer. [13:20] El miedo más grande que tengo es tener que irme o no. [13:24] Y en el caso de que Estados Unidos entrara al país y cambie el país, también sería muy complicado porque ya no seríamos el mismo pueblo de siempre. [13:32] Ya no seríamos la misma Venezuela rebelde, la misma Venezuela negre. Estaríamos bajo otro país y eso es algo que no me gustaría. [13:38] Young people are clinging to the opportunities offered by Yonel's foundation. [13:53] But this social outreach isn't just goodwill. [13:58] Ojo, en el caso de los muchachos, buscamos la manera de inculcarse de la manera muy dócil, pero siempre va por ahí los ritmos, pues. [14:07] Y después que cumplen los 18, los 19, ya uno va metiéndolo un poquito más en la cosa. [14:12] Porque nosotros, en cierto modo, creemos que de nuestras organizaciones también hayan carlos líderes políticos, [14:19] que salga un concejal, que salga un disputado, ¿verdad? [14:23] Entonces, ¿cómo lo hacemos? [14:25] Con la formación y la doctrina. [14:27] ¿Cuál es la doctrina? [14:28] Lamentamente es revolucionaria, que es la que llevamos nosotros en este momento. [14:31] This doctrine is known as Chavismo. [14:39] It's named after Hugo Chávez, the historical leader of the revolution. [14:45] Wow, mira, mi mentor, Chávez, mi mentor, Chávez. [14:49] Simple y llanamente, Chávez es un pueblo. [14:51] Chávez, Chávez es una persona que doctrinó a su patria, doctrinó a su pueblo para que defendiera. [15:02] A nosotros nos corre por las venas, por las vísceras, lo que es el sentimiento de Chavista. [15:08] Hugo Chávez was elected president in 1999. [15:20] He remained in power until he died in 2013. [15:24] But his presence is still felt everywhere in the capital, [15:28] especially here at the military fort that houses his tomb. [15:32] Every day at 4.25 p.m., the official hour of his death, a cannon is fired. [15:43] ¡Viva la patria! [15:45] Vengo constantemente para acá. Vengo a buscar fuerza. [15:54] Decir, Chávez, tú estás aquí conmigo. [15:59] ¿Qué harías tú en estos momentos, Chávez? [16:02] Y yo respondo. [16:05] Y yo estoy respondiendo porque yo soy Chávez, porque yo soy pueblo. [16:09] Como él fue pueblo y sigue siendo pueblo. [16:13] Ese es Chávez. [16:13] As soon as he came to power, Chávez introduced a new range of social policies, [16:21] including large-scale housing programs for the poorest Venezuelans. [16:27] Millions benefited from new social housing. [16:32] The neighborhood of Baruto was built in 2012 on the hills of Caracas. [16:40] About 8,500 families were settled here, including Adriana's. [16:46] Yo llegué aquí en el 2012 pasando una mala situación. [16:50] O sea, estaba en situación de calle. [16:52] Esta vivienda es el legado, lo más preciado y lo más hermoso que tengo de mi comandante Chávez [17:00] y que tenemos del comandante Chávez de la revolución porque nos dignificó. [17:06] Sería desleal hablar mal de la revolución cuando tantos beneficios me ha dado. [17:10] Bueno, este es mi edificio. Este es la terraza 11.6. [17:15] Yo vivo en el apartamento 15. [17:21] This apartment was given to Adriana, who raised her two children here. [17:28] Porque este estilo club, pues, estilo para dos personas nada más. [17:32] O sea, no es multifamiliar. [17:34] Aquí también hay apartamentos que son multifamiliar, que tienen tres cuartos, son más amplios. [17:38] She works for a government institution. [17:44] Her salary is around $6 a month. [17:48] She also gets coupons worth about $120 a month through government social aid. [17:54] But all this could come to an end if the opposition was to come to power. [17:59] La oposición tuvo el asedio o tuvo la desfachatez de decir que él iba a acabar con las misión vivienda. [18:06] Porque ellos son así, ellos son malos. [18:10] Ellos no les importa el pueblo, ellos les importa su propia riqueza. [18:13] Que tenemos miedo que se acaben todas las misiones sociales y que se acabe la revolución. [18:19] Claro que tenemos miedo. [18:27] Most Venezuelans rely on government support. [18:35] 80% of the population survive on less than $4 a month. [18:40] Hola, amigo. ¿Estás bien? Que Dios me lo bendiga. [18:45] Ya veo que estaba bien pertrechado. Qué bueno. [18:50] El nombre mío es Benito Prieto Soto. [18:53] Ya llevo una buena parte de los 90 metidos en el forro. [19:00] After a career as a senior official in an international institution, Benito devoted his retirement to helping the most vulnerable. [19:12] He founded Casa Maria, a community shelter that relies on private donations raised through the Catholic Church. [19:20] It serves 200 meals a day, Monday to Friday. [19:24] He says most of the people he helps have fallen into poverty over the past 10 years, after Maduro came to power. [19:38] El gobierno dice que trabaja, o el chavismo, dice que trabaja para erradicar la pobreza. [19:43] Eso es falso, que está erradicando la pobreza. [19:49] Venezuela se echó más pobre. [19:53] Casi 24 veces ceros le han quitado la moneda en los 26 años que llevan gobernando el país. [20:04] ¿Qué país resiste que le quiten a su moneda 26 ceros de valor? [20:09] Benito has managed to resist pressure from the colectivos in his neighborhood. [20:18] Que todas las noches se reúnen ahí, alrededor de 100, pero armadas desde las narices hasta la punta de los pies, con armas de guerra. [20:40] Ahí había uno, y ellos nos decían que nos darían la comida gratis si permitíamos que tomaran el poder de esto. [20:50] O sea, querían instruir a los mendigos para convertirlos en individuos dispuestos a dar su vida por la revolución. [20:58] Por supuesto, nosotros les dijimos, yo siempre les dije muy claramente, nosotros no tenemos ayuda de nadie ni la pedimos a nadie. [21:13] Around one in four Venezuelans have left the country in the past decade, fleeing violence, poverty and hunger. [21:20] Sencilla y llenamente digo que es un castigo para Venezuela. [21:26] Es algo que constituye una tribulación en la que no sufre una persona, estamos sufriendo todos. [21:35] Pero la democracia también, durante su tiempo. [21:41] Hay que corregir mucho la democracia, pero el chavismo tiene que desaparecer. [21:46] At 91, Benito es no longer afraid to criticize the government. [22:03] This military side is usually close to the public. [22:06] But today, Julio and his old-time friends are gathering to express their support for Maduro, Hugo Chávez's chosen successor. [22:19] Many here took up arms decades ago and joined communist guerrilla movements, [22:27] at a time when their government was closely allied to the U.S. [22:30] Aquí no hay ningún infiltrado, porque todo el mundo nos conocemos aquí. [22:37] La mayoría de estos compañeros estuvieron en el monte, estuvieron en unidades tácticas de combate, [22:44] estuvieron en la guerrilla urbana o en la guerrilla del monte. [22:49] Hay algunos que estuvieron preparándose en Cuba en los años 60. [22:54] They are the old guard, men and women who fought for decades and brought about a revolution. [23:03] A generation that continues to stand in opposition to the United States [23:31] and remains fiercely hostile to political transition. [23:36] Yo creo que hay revolución para el rato. [24:03] Y tú lo ves ahí, tú lo ves aquí en, y lo ves en la calle en las grandes marchas. [24:09] Las tres tareas es rescatar a Nicolás, rescatar a Silvia, [24:14] seguir como país trabajando, luchando, produciendo y preparándolo. [24:21] Un país preparado, consciente y armado.