Saturday, October 11, 2003

Venezuelan envoy puts his job on the line with his words Venezuela's representative in front of the international Human Rights organizations wrote a report to the Foreign Minsiter essentially blasting the country's positions with respect to the decisions by the OAS' Human Rights Comission. Jorge Dugarte, whose job security I am sure is theatened by his report, recommneded that the Government avoid sanctions or be denounced by the Interamerican Human Rights Court. The report tells the Government to report the confiscated equimpent to Globovision as requested by the Interamerican Human Rights Court. Dugarte reminded the Government that in international bodies, such commissions do not discuss the internal laws of the countries, but the respect the countries have with the Interamerican Convention on Human Rights and its regulations. Dugarte said "the contradiction between power and opinion is as old as democracy" and quoting Colombian President LLeras Restrepo said: "it is preferably to have an overboard press than a muzzled press". I think Mr. Dugarte is certainl;y right, but he is doing what nobody else in the Chavez admisnitartion has been able to do without being fired: telling the President he is not right. The main fault of the Chavez presidency has been that Chavez always has the last word and he thinks he is above the law. I would bet Mr. Dugarte will lose his job very soon. 8:05:41 PM    comment []

Impunity in Venezuela Yesterday, there was an event to discuss the video made at Puente El Llaguno last April, 11, 2002 (see this link). Many aspects of the video were discussed. But perhaps nothing illustrates better the impunity under the Chavez administration that the numbers derived from it and the events that day: -A total of 35 different people are seen shooting in various parts of the video. Ten of those were covering their faces and can not be identified. 25 have their faces visible in teh video and could be identified. -There were 20 deaths, 300 injured and a total of 1500 spent bullets were picked up. -All of Venpres' (the state press agency) reports were destroyed and the autopsy protocols have not bee made available to anyone. -There is not a single person sanctioned for these crimes. This is the level of impunity in the Chavez administartion. 12:26:58 AM    comment []