0:00:02 > 0:00:04is using torture and imprisonment without trial against those
0:00:04 > 0:00:07who oppose it - a claim the government denies.
0:00:07 > 0:00:10Protests have been held against a vote to elect an assembly
0:00:10 > 0:00:12to change the constitution, which opposition parties say
0:00:12 > 0:00:13could create a dictatorship.
0:00:13 > 0:00:15For Our World, Vladimir Hernandez reports from Caracas.
0:00:15 > 0:00:18His film includes images and descriptions of violence.
0:00:18 > 0:00:19Welcome to Venezuela.
0:00:19 > 0:00:21Once the richest jewel in Latin America, it is now
0:00:21 > 0:00:25a country drowning in political and economic chaos.
0:00:25 > 0:00:28A state with the largest oil reserves in the world is now
0:00:28 > 0:00:35so impoverished that it cannot feed its own people.
0:00:35 > 0:00:37TRANSLATION: Even if I die, it's worth it.
0:00:37 > 0:00:40How long is this going to go on for?
0:00:40 > 0:00:45We are a hungry country.
0:00:45 > 0:00:48As his people rage, President Nicolas Maduro's grip
0:00:48 > 0:00:52on power has grown increasingly desperate.
0:00:52 > 0:00:57All opposition is being systematically crushed.
0:00:57 > 0:01:01It is feared a new constitution will extinguish democracy
0:01:01 > 0:01:08and establish a dictatorship.
0:01:12 > 0:01:15As the battle for Venezuelan democracy reaches boiling point,
0:01:15 > 0:01:18the BBC has heard disturbing allegations of state
0:01:18 > 0:01:23torture against demonstrators.
0:01:23 > 0:01:24Several officers there are told us,
0:01:24 > 0:01:27"We are going to give you the shock treatment."
0:01:27 > 0:01:30For Venezuelans, long accustomed to economic hardship,
0:01:30 > 0:01:35the assault on their democracy is proving the final straw.
0:01:43 > 0:01:46I have been to Caracas, to meet resistance to the reforms
0:01:46 > 0:01:49of Nicolas Maduro and find out what future lies in store
0:01:49 > 0:02:04for this troubled country.
0:02:07 > 0:02:10If you want to find out who is behind a demonstration,
0:02:10 > 0:02:13head to a university.
0:02:13 > 0:02:15This is Uceve, the largest university in Venezuela.
0:02:15 > 0:02:20I was a student here myself.
0:02:20 > 0:02:23In my day, we were protesting against a rise in the bus fare.
0:02:23 > 0:02:29Today, it is a rather more desperate story.
0:02:30 > 0:02:34In a quiet room on the campus, I meet four young protesters.
0:02:34 > 0:02:37They have disguised their identities and we have changed their voices
0:02:37 > 0:02:44to protect them.
0:02:45 > 0:02:50The way I see it, the resistance is everybody who is against a regime.
0:02:50 > 0:02:52Many people see it as a dictatorship.
0:02:52 > 0:02:54At the moment, they are even trying
0:02:54 > 0:02:55to change our constitution.
0:02:55 > 0:02:58I think the resistance is those people who come out to protest
0:02:58 > 0:03:01and are willing to take the lead to confront the police
0:03:01 > 0:03:04or the national guard.
0:03:04 > 0:03:07It's not like there is this little group of resistance over here,
0:03:07 > 0:03:09and a group of normal people over there.
0:03:09 > 0:03:10No.
0:03:10 > 0:03:13We are all the resistance, and we are all against
0:03:13 > 0:03:15what is happening.
0:03:15 > 0:03:19Some have labelled us as terrorists, but I think that all of us youth
0:03:19 > 0:03:22who make up the resistance are brave fighters, defending our people
0:03:22 > 0:03:27from the government's brutal repression.
0:03:27 > 0:03:30The students are known as escuderos, or shield bearers.
0:03:30 > 0:03:36Young men and women like them see their role in the resistance
0:03:36 > 0:03:39as protecting the ordinary people who demonstrate every day
0:03:39 > 0:03:46from the national guard.
0:03:46 > 0:03:49We are going to meet a resistance group at Las Mercedes,
0:03:49 > 0:03:52and then we moved to the place where it normally kicks off.
0:03:52 > 0:03:55Every protest march is accompanied by the escuderos and when the people
0:03:55 > 0:03:58move into stop the march, the escuderos will move
0:03:58 > 0:04:02in and confront them.
0:04:02 > 0:04:06They never allow us to make it as far as where the march is meant
0:04:06 > 0:04:11to end - they use the excuse that we will destroy the whole city.
0:04:11 > 0:04:13Our role is also to secure ground.
0:04:13 > 0:04:16Because just as the police and national guard are trying
0:04:16 > 0:04:21to push us back, we also have to seize our chances to advance.
0:04:21 > 0:04:24My job is to pick up any falling helmets or gloves,
0:04:24 > 0:04:27to retrieve them and give them back to the boys,
0:04:27 > 0:04:30or to be looking out for them, or collecting
0:04:30 > 0:04:31the stones, or whatever.
0:04:31 > 0:04:34It is not just a matter of marching forward and that's it.
0:04:34 > 0:04:39It's really about everyone's duty.
0:04:39 > 0:04:42There is a naivete about some of their actions, but it is clear
0:04:42 > 0:04:45that they are brave.
0:04:45 > 0:04:48Most of the dozens who have died in this wave of protest are those
0:04:48 > 0:04:51at the front.
0:04:51 > 0:04:54But there is a little resentment that they have been allotted this
0:04:54 > 0:04:59role in Venezuela's struggle for democracy at such a young age.
0:04:59 > 0:05:02It shouldn't be just up to us to get out there representing
0:05:02 > 0:05:03thirtysomethings or fortysomethings.
0:05:03 > 0:05:10I mean, they have to come out as well.
0:05:10 > 0:05:13I think we suffer the worst of the government's decisions
0:05:13 > 0:05:17and that's why we haven't any choice if we want to gain our independence
0:05:17 > 0:05:20to move forward and make a life for ourselves.
0:05:20 > 0:05:24What I've noticed in most of the marchers, most of those
0:05:24 > 0:05:26at the front are really, really young kids, to be honest.
0:05:26 > 0:05:31I don't think they should be there.
0:05:31 > 0:05:33You are supposed to fight for your children's future.
0:05:33 > 0:05:38You should not get your children to fight for your future, right?
0:05:38 > 0:05:41It wasn't meant to be like this.
0:05:41 > 0:05:44By the time Maduro came to power in 2013, the Bolivian revolution,
0:05:44 > 0:05:50begun by his charismatic predecessor, Hugo Chavez,
0:05:50 > 0:05:55was spluttering badly.
0:05:55 > 0:05:58Price controls and the state seizure of industry had apparently failed.
0:05:58 > 0:06:00When the oil price fell, Venezuela's extravagant
0:06:00 > 0:06:05spending didn't stop.
0:06:05 > 0:06:07The country found itself borrowing heavily and increasingly reliant
0:06:07 > 0:06:09on imports of food and medicine.
0:06:09 > 0:06:13In the last four years, the economy has shrunk by a third.
0:06:13 > 0:06:17The IMF estimates that inflation is running at over 700%,
0:06:17 > 0:06:21the highest in the world.
0:06:21 > 0:06:23The people began to go hungry.
0:06:23 > 0:06:26Three out of four Venezuelans lost an average of 18lb
0:06:26 > 0:06:32in weight last year.
0:06:32 > 0:06:36Corruption, say critics, helps the regime to stay in power.
0:06:36 > 0:06:42By controlling foreign exchange, the government decides who prospers.
0:06:42 > 0:06:45The army are kept onside by being given charge
0:06:45 > 0:06:49of the most critical imports.
0:06:49 > 0:06:51The media is muzzled.
0:06:51 > 0:06:55In March, Maduro's supreme court declared the opposition led national
0:06:55 > 0:06:58assembly to be illegitimate.
0:06:58 > 0:07:00Days of daily demonstrations and violent clashes
0:07:00 > 0:07:04with the security forces followed.
0:07:04 > 0:07:09Over 100 have died, and thousands more have been arrested.
0:07:09 > 0:07:12Then, in May, President Maduro declared that a new constitution
0:07:12 > 0:07:15would be drawn up.
0:07:15 > 0:07:18The government wanted to rewrite the rules of the game,
0:07:18 > 0:07:25and no-one was asked if this was what they wanted.
0:07:25 > 0:07:28It's hard to get the government to talk to the media
0:07:28 > 0:07:30but the minister in charge of food distribution -
0:07:30 > 0:07:38a key job in today's Venezuela - did agree to talk to me.
0:07:38 > 0:07:42In the Chavista worldview, there is a familiar bogeyman.
0:08:18 > 0:08:21It's hard to say who represents the opposition in Venezuela.
0:08:21 > 0:08:23But no-one would argue against former presidential
0:08:23 > 0:08:27candidate Maria Corina Machado.
0:08:27 > 0:08:30Disbarred from politics by ruling party legislators,
0:08:30 > 0:08:32she remains a political force and is keen to be
0:08:32 > 0:08:36seen with protesters.
0:09:20 > 0:09:23But Maria Corina Machado thinks there is far more to the resistance
0:09:23 > 0:09:27than violent protests.
0:09:27 > 0:09:30There is a word going around calling the opposition 'the resistance.'
0:09:30 > 0:09:32What is the resistance for you?
0:09:53 > 0:09:57You don't have to look far to find who she is talking about.
0:09:57 > 0:10:01Street kids like these appear at every demonstration.
0:10:01 > 0:10:03Their enthusiasm to take on the security forces,
0:10:03 > 0:10:12whilst brave, places them in real danger.
0:10:12 > 0:10:18Their motivation often stems from a profound sense of injustice.
0:10:18 > 0:10:21TRANSLATION: Three days ago, they nicked me, they tortured me,
0:10:21 > 0:10:23they asked me who was paying me.
0:10:23 > 0:10:23It's a lie.
0:10:23 > 0:10:27Nobody gives us money - we come out because we want a better
0:10:27 > 0:10:31future, we want a better future for Venezuela.
0:10:31 > 0:10:33They split my head, they hit me in the body,
0:10:33 > 0:10:37they grabbed me, they told me they were going to rape me,
0:10:37 > 0:10:40they said they were going to kill me.
0:10:40 > 0:10:43Fuelled by their grievances, some of these young protesters
0:10:43 > 0:10:47take considerable risks.
0:10:47 > 0:10:49This is one of the most controversial aspects
0:10:49 > 0:10:53of the so-called resistance - small pockets of demonstrators
0:10:53 > 0:10:56at the end of the protest come to places like this,
0:10:56 > 0:10:59a military base, and try to attack it.
0:10:59 > 0:11:02In there, they're already scuffles, with some people telling them,
0:11:02 > 0:11:05"Don't do it, you're valuable, you're a young life,
0:11:05 > 0:11:06don't lose it."
0:11:06 > 0:11:16Because over there, the national guard is already waiting for them.
0:11:16 > 0:11:20One person trying to cool the hot heads of the protests is a senior
0:11:20 > 0:11:25citizen now known as Senora de la Tanqueta, or 'tank lady'.
0:11:25 > 0:11:27She rose to fame in April by refusing to move
0:11:27 > 0:11:32out of the way of a small tank.
0:11:54 > 0:11:59She was taken to prison and interrogated before being released.
0:11:59 > 0:12:05The experience has not put her off going to the demonstrations.
0:12:19 > 0:12:23The stakes are certainly high for both sides,
0:12:23 > 0:12:26and the regime is defiant.
0:12:48 > 0:12:51This residential block in Caracas is called Los Verdes, the greens.
0:12:52 > 0:12:54It has been a focal point of vociferous anti-government
0:12:54 > 0:12:55protest since April.
0:12:55 > 0:12:57Neighbours here set up barricades on irregular basis
0:12:57 > 0:13:05and clashes with the police and National Guard are frequent.
0:13:05 > 0:13:09One evening, the government said, another was enough.
0:13:32 > 0:13:34Margarita, her husband and her cousin who lives
0:13:34 > 0:13:42in the apartment, were petrified.
0:13:55 > 0:13:57Although her husband and her cousin were released,
0:13:57 > 0:14:01the intrusion into their home has badly affected the family.
0:14:16 > 0:14:27But not all members of the tower block were so fortunate.
0:14:27 > 0:14:29When she heard the police begin their assault,
0:14:29 > 0:14:32Camila and some friends went to hide in a neighbour's apartment.
0:14:32 > 0:14:35TRANSLATION: When he opened the door of the wardrobe,
0:14:35 > 0:14:38the man who grabbed me, he did it by the hair, he lifted me
0:14:38 > 0:14:42and threw me onto the bed, and then they beat the boys
0:14:42 > 0:14:42in the head.
0:14:42 > 0:14:44They really beat up the boys horribly.
0:14:44 > 0:14:46Even though she told police she was pregnant,
0:14:46 > 0:14:47they took no notice.
0:14:48 > 0:14:50TRANSLATION: We were lying facedown on the floor,
0:14:50 > 0:14:52then they told us to take out their shoelaces.
0:14:52 > 0:14:54Then they kicked me about ten times.
0:14:54 > 0:15:07In the bum, in the legs...
0:15:07 > 0:15:09They also beat the rest of the girls.
0:15:09 > 0:15:12They kept on beating us, even when they took us
0:15:12 > 0:15:13out of the apartment.
0:15:13 > 0:15:16They told someone, come on, I'm going to kill you,
0:15:16 > 0:15:17right here, right now.
0:15:17 > 0:15:18Why did they take me?
0:15:18 > 0:15:21Because this is a dictatorship and they nicked whoever
0:15:21 > 0:15:27they want to, whether you are doing anything or not.
0:15:32 > 0:15:35Camila taken to some of the worst prisons in Caracas,
0:15:35 > 0:15:36before eventually being released.
0:15:36 > 0:15:39Simon was not so lucky, he was arrested at a demonstration,
0:15:39 > 0:15:41accused of being a member of an opposition political party.
0:15:42 > 0:15:44TRANSLATION: They grabbed me from behind, 18, 20 cops
0:15:44 > 0:15:46that came down on me, while they were kicking
0:15:46 > 0:15:50and hitting me, they put me on a bike and took me
0:15:50 > 0:16:01to the headquarters of the intelligence agency.
0:16:01 > 0:16:02Originally designed as the futuristic shopping centre,
0:16:03 > 0:16:05today, the Helicoide is a place whose name makes even
0:16:05 > 0:16:09the hardened shudder.
0:16:09 > 0:16:11Held in an overcrowded cell for over two months,
0:16:11 > 0:16:13Simon witnessed prisoners returning from interrogation, with tell-tale
0:16:14 > 0:16:22signs of having been tortured.
0:16:22 > 0:16:25TRANSLATION: One got back, you could tell he was frightened,
0:16:25 > 0:16:28he couldn't stand up straight and you could see the burn
0:16:28 > 0:16:29marks on his ears.
0:16:33 > 0:16:36And the other guy, you could see his black eye,
0:16:36 > 0:16:40it was all bruised, so you could see they have given him shocks.
0:16:40 > 0:16:43Later on, several offices there told us, we are going to give
0:16:43 > 0:16:45you the shock treatment, and we're going to grab
0:16:46 > 0:16:52those two and soak them, keep them soaked all night long.
0:16:52 > 0:17:02Simon was beaten but not tortured, he could not get
0:17:02 > 0:17:16out of the Helicoide.
0:17:16 > 0:17:19Even though he received a release order from a judge,
0:17:19 > 0:17:22intelligence agency officials ignored it and he was only released
0:17:22 > 0:17:23over one month later.
0:17:23 > 0:17:26Today, he is still trying to get back on his feet.
0:17:26 > 0:17:28TRANSLATION: At night I'm very anxious, any little
0:17:28 > 0:17:31sound makes me jumpy, I feel like I don't know
0:17:31 > 0:17:32what is going to happen.
0:17:32 > 0:17:36I'm still worried that any time, they will come and knock on my door
0:17:36 > 0:17:37and take me back there.
0:17:37 > 0:17:39Far from being intimidated, the opposition are
0:17:39 > 0:17:40growing in strength.
0:17:40 > 0:17:42Whilst we were filming, with Maria Corina Machado,
0:17:42 > 0:17:43and its ordinary defection from a Chavista loyalist.
0:17:44 > 0:17:46This is the Attorney General of Venezuela, now playing
0:17:46 > 0:17:48a key role in the crisis.
0:17:48 > 0:17:49The Maduro regime was not impressed.
0:18:57 > 0:18:59Despite the government's denials, the Attorney General has claimed
0:18:59 > 0:19:09that the security forces are using unauthorised firearms.
0:19:09 > 0:19:11What is clear is that many protesters have been killed
0:19:11 > 0:19:15and severely injured by the reckless use of riot control munitions.
0:19:15 > 0:19:16Many in the opposition believe that behind the bluster,
0:19:31 > 0:19:38Many in the opposition believe that behind the bluster,
0:19:38 > 0:19:40the end game is being played out.
0:19:40 > 0:19:42a recent unofficial plebiscite showed 7 million voters
0:19:42 > 0:19:45were against President Maduro, as many as had elected him in 2013.
0:19:45 > 0:19:48Do you think we are in the final days of Chavism
0:19:48 > 0:19:49as a proposition in politics?
0:20:21 > 0:20:23The president sees a very different future for
0:20:23 > 0:20:28the opposition in Venezuela.
0:20:45 > 0:20:49Whilst the politicians fight it out, the students of Uceve continue
0:20:49 > 0:20:58their own perilous resistance.
0:20:58 > 0:21:01TRANSLATION: I don't mind giving up my life out there in the streets
0:21:01 > 0:21:03if it is for a good cause.
0:21:03 > 0:21:06I believe I would prefer to die than live in this way.
0:21:06 > 0:21:10I will never be able to achieve my attentional as a person here,
0:21:10 > 0:21:12because the government isn't letting me.
0:21:12 > 0:21:14TRANSLATION: I'm scared of dying, I'm scared of seeing
0:21:14 > 0:21:17someone getting killed, to be near them when it happens.
0:21:17 > 0:21:20After all, we are supposed to be fighting for the safe of living
0:21:20 > 0:21:35in a better Venezuela.
0:21:36 > 0:21:37TRANSLATION: when you're standing behind a shield
0:21:37 > 0:21:40and they fire at you, the impact deafens you.
0:21:40 > 0:21:41It leaves your ears ringing.
0:21:41 > 0:21:44There's always the risk that by trying to see
0:21:44 > 0:21:47what is going on a ahead of you, that a pellet can get
0:21:47 > 0:21:50through the shields and hit you in your eye.
0:21:50 > 0:21:51That's your eye gone.
0:21:51 > 0:21:52Or it could kill you.
0:21:52 > 0:21:54TRANSLATION: I always think that maybe one day,
0:21:54 > 0:21:56my luck will run out.
0:21:56 > 0:21:59And I think about those boys who didn't make it back home.
0:21:59 > 0:22:02Every time I get home from the protests, I tell
0:22:02 > 0:22:13myself that it a gift.
0:22:13 > 0:22:16Because many of my mates didn't make it back.
0:22:16 > 0:22:23They may be dead, or under arrest.
0:22:23 > 0:22:27This is a country that has seen many of its youngest people killed,
0:22:27 > 0:22:28injured, or arrested.
0:22:28 > 0:22:29People like these are commemorating the
0:22:29 > 0:22:31lives lost in this wave of political unrest.
0:22:31 > 0:22:35This is very much an open wound, and the consequences are far
0:22:35 > 0:22:45from known, regardless of who is going to run this nation.
0:22:45 > 0:22:46The government now plans to convene a
0:22:46 > 0:22:48new assembly, to rewrite Venezuela's constitution.
0:22:48 > 0:22:54It's a future that many in the country are dreading.