According to Aciprensa reporting on 29 May 2018, three people claiming to have the local mayor"s authority barged their way into a Catholic church in Merida, ripped padlocks from doors and
sealed the outside metal doors with welding apparatus. The priest in charge said that both church leaders and other Christians had been receiving anonymous threats.
Rossana Ramirez, persecution analyst at World Watch Research, comments: "Although no official reason has been given for this action, it is common practice in Venezuela for churches to be targeted by the state, especially where church leaders speak out against the regime. Now that Nicolas Maduro has successfully had his term of office extended, it is no surprise that his regime has initiated a
harsh crackdown on dissidents, as La Vanguardia reported on 29 May 2018. Civilians, political and military leaders - as well as Christians who have publicly criticized the government - are all potential targets."
Rossana Ramirez, adds: "However, as pointed out by the International Crisis Group in a report published on 31 May 2018, violence is not the only way to repress a population; subjecting them to human misery can also be a
control strategy. The Venezuelan government inflicts suffering on its citizens using it as a tool for demanding loyalty. Through the manipulation of the population"s desperate situation it can cause citizens to abandon their principles and religious beliefs in order to survive."
