Weekly Report - 17 May 2012 (WR-12-19)

When a crossword writer is hauled in by the intelligence service for allegedly concealing details of an assassination plot to destabilise the government, it gives a strong indication of that country’s prevailing political climate. This is the Venezuela of today; with President Hugo Chávez absent for long periods in Cuba undergoing life-or-death medical treatment and elections looming on the horizon, political tension and uncertainty has penetrated to the heart of the Bolivarian Revolution and threats seem to lurk in every corner.