This is a hard thing to write. I am still scared as fuck. My country declared state of emergency last night, even though shit has been going down since last month. Mostly, tis is why I haven’y been a lot here in the past few days.
As a journalist, I experienced a coup d’etat yesterday. It’s been already 24 hs of pure riot and police brutality. Below the cut there is a full description of what happened.
The “Parallel Senate” yes, we have two congresses, my country is a joke, gathered yesterday at 2 pm in secret to discuss the “Presidential Reelection” shit, that is not allowed IN ANY CASE in our National Constitution. They approved the project, in secret. AGAINST THE LAW.
People got upset, they rioted. There were Congressmen heavily wounded. And as if that wasn’t enough, people burned the Congress Building.
Damage count:
1 innocent 25 year old man killed by police brutality in the attack to the Liberal Party, head of the opposition.
1 congressman from the opposition in ICU, after being shot in the mouth close-up BY THE POLICE and getting an emergency surgery. Also,
3 congressmen injured and beaten brutally. Two on the shoulder, one on the head. BY. THE. POLICE.
12 injured journalists, including a pregnant woman.
28 civilians heavily injured. All of them getting medical attention in the hallways of the Hospital de Trauma, due to the lack of beds. Health Secretary, Anibal Filártiga, is about to explode.
200+ people detained in the National Police Building without motive or arrest warrant, among these 200+ victims there are injured ones who can’t recieve medical assistance because THE MOTHERFUCKING POLICE REFUSES TO LET THE PARAMEDICS IN. They are denying legal assitance to them. Former Scretary of Security, Rafael Filizzola is outside that building at least around 16 hs now, still waiting for the police to let them in.
50+ women sexually assaulted, forced to get naked in a room full of men under the excuse of “drug search“.
1 Congress Building burned.
3 businesses ravaged.
1 Violent political party.
1 General Police Commander dissmised.
1 Secretary of Security removed from his charge.
1 teen, son of a pro-government senator, kidnapped, brutally beaten and then released to his fate. ALL OF THIS DONE BY THE POLICE.
2 people kidnapped and extorted for $ 2,000, threatened with guns. Again, BY THE POLICE.
Countless videos of police brutality.
200+ mothers, wives, daughters, girlfriends looking desperately for their loved ones.
1 President who simply ignores everything that’s is going on.
Today the riot continues, people are as upset as yesterday. There are cops everywhere, a patrol every two blocks. They take prisoners for no reason, they register people without warrants to do it in buses, they stop cars in the street and they force you, threatening with guns, to give them money or they illegally arrest you. People are afraid, we don’t sleep because we don’t dare to. They break into private property without a warrant to do so, we really don’t dare to sleep. We are afraid. My dear country is returning to the military dictatorship period of 1954-1989 and yesterday we revived the Marzo Paraguayo of 1999.
If you got this far, thank you for reading. I am ok, scared but ok.
