Venezuelan Chavista leader Julio Escalona speaking at a public event. File photo.
Julio Escalona, a lifelong revolutionary and Chavista leader, passed away on Thursday. President Nicolás Maduro lamented his death, calling him “a great leader and fervent fighter of our Homeland. Defender of the humble, of the common Venezuelan and of the popular classes. His legacy will live forever! My heartfelt condolences to his family and friends. Forever towards victory, Comrade Julio!”
Venezuelan Minister of Culture, Ernesto Villegas, also publicly lamented the death of the Venezuelan revolutionary leader..
“Others had the privilege of sharing decades of struggle by his side, even under his leadership,” Villegas wrote on social media. “Mine was much shorter, but just as honorable: to be part of the Political Council of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV) at the same time as him, where he was always a guiding, lucid, respectful, and respected voice. This was in the political sphere. On a personal level, Julio Escalona had an exceptional human gift, with paternal affection for those who were younger and less experienced than him. His passing saddens us as much as it makes us proud that Venezuela has him among its references of revolutionary struggle. For the new and old generations, I recommend one of his books that we published from the publication house El Perro y La Rana: Puntofijismo y 23 de Enero de 1958 [“Puntofijism and 23 January 1958″]. Thank you, Julio, honor and glory!”
The Venezuelan National Assembly (AN) also expressed sorrow at the demise of revolutionary leader Julio Escalona, who was a member of the National Constituent Assembly convened by President Maduro in 2017. The National Assembly stated that Escalona was a “fighter, revolutionary leader of long trajectory, faithful defender of the just causes of humanity. Our most sincere condolences to family and friends. Peace to his soul!”
“Of tireless pen and verb, he always denounced the maneuvers of imperialism and defended the just causes of humanity,” highlighted the AN statement.
Below is an obituary highlighting the facets of Julio Escalona as a lifelong revolutionary leader, Venezuelan Ambassador to the United Nations (UN), and member of the Constituent Assembly of 2017.
Julio Escalona was born in Carabobo on January 9, 1938. He graduated as an economist from the Central University of Venezuela.
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During his adolescence, he participated in the student resistance movement against the military dictatorship of Marco Pérez Jiménez.
As an adult, he became a member of the Revolutionary Left Movement (MIR) and the Organization of Revolutionaries (OR). Subsequently, he was a founding member of the Socialist League, where he served as general secretary. As a guerrilla fighter, he was part of the Antonio José de Sucre guerrilla front.
As a political leader, he held numerous posts representing the government and the Venezuelan state. He was minister of Environment and minister of Agriculture and Lands during Hugo Chávez’s government. He was also appointed Venezuela’s alternate ambassador to the United Nations during 2008-2014.
Escalona was a well-known poet and writer. His works always focused on denouncing imperialist mechanisms of “permanent war” for the domination of the peoples of the South.
In an article published by La Iguana TV, journalist Clodovaldo Hernández highlighted Escalona’s criticism of opposition violence, corruption, paramilitarism, and his lifelong struggle to make people’s anguish visible.
(Alba Ciudad) with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SC/BLA
