Venezuelan Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello Announces 22,000 Police Dismissals Amid Power Reconfiguration

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello told the public on 3 June that roughly 22,000 police officers had been removed from their posts over the past year and a half following internal investigations into irregular conduct, including extortion of citizens. He emphasized a zero‑tolerance stance, stating that officials who harm the institution cannot remain within it, and highlighted a surge in applications to the National Experimental University of Security, rising from 7,800 to 32,000.

A separate report by the peace‑research think‑tank LabPaz assessed the first five months of the interim government led by Delcy Rodríguez. The study describes a “authoritarian recomposition” of state power, noting constitutional uncertainty and the continued presence of officials such as Cabello and senior generals who face international allegations of human‑rights violations. The authors argue that, despite a U.S. three‑phase plan for recovery, stabilization and transition, no concrete steps toward democratic elections, judicial independence or reparations for victims have been taken.