Venezuelan dissidents, protester killed - Four people were missing since last week

www.cnn.com Wednesday, February 19, 2003 Posted: 8:54 AM EST (1354 GMT)

We are conducting the investigation to try to answer these questions. -- Raul Yepez, Caracas police homicide division

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) -- Three military dissidents and a female protester opposed to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez have been killed execution-style after being kidnapped, bound and gagged, police said on Tuesday.

Police refused to comment on the investigation.

The victims frequented Plaza Altamira, the site of more than four months of protests against Chavez' government. The military men had joined a call for popular resistance led by anti-Chavez Gen. Enrique Medina.

A 14-year-old girl who apparently witnessed at least one of the killings was hospitalized after being shot, but is talking, police said.

Raul Yepez, deputy director of the Caracas police homicide division, said the four victims had been fired upon with shotguns. It appeared that all of them have been missing since last week.

"We are conducting the investigation to try to answer these questions," he said.

Despite occasional violence in Venezuela's political standoff, there have been no confirmed selective killings of Chavez's allies or enemies. Still, street clashes have claimed at least seven lives and left scores injured since December.

The Venezuelan leader says his self-styled revolution for the poor is a peaceful one. His opponents, however, blame his aggressive class-warfare rhetoric for inspiring supporters to take up arms.

Government and opposition negotiators on Tuesday signed an anti-violence agreement meant to tone down hateful language and discourage street clashes. The declaration, which has no enforcement mechanism, is the only signed agreement after three months of painful negotiations over early elections.

Forensics report

Police said the victims were army soldier Darwin Arguello, marine infantry corporal Angel Salas and air force soldier Felix Pinto.

A forensics report seen by Reuters indicated that at least of two of soldiers had been dead for about 72 hours. Their bodies were abandoned on the side of a multilane highway heading out of Caracas.

Yepez said at least one other victim was found on a farm on the outskirts of the capital.

The civilian victim, Zaida Perozo, had already been wounded once -- during a December 6 shooting at Plaza Altamira, where she was protesting, said Carlos Bastidas, a lawyer for the dissident military officers.

At least one gunman left three people dead and more than 20 injured in that attack, which opposition leaders blamed on the government. Pinto was a witness and had been considering testifying against the alleged shooter, Joao de Gouveia, said Bastides.

"It's very easy to put forward ideas or personal judgments ... but there is an element between this case and the case of Joao de Gouveia: that is one of the victims and a witness to December 6 have died," Bastidas said.

Chavez is struggling to consolidate his power after surviving a coup in April. He has rebuffed calls by his opponents for early elections to cut short his term in office, which is set to end in 2007.

Some top brass gathering at the Plaza Altamira were the ringleaders of last year's coup attempt. The military officers have been sidelined from the talks by civilian negotiators, but still sign autographs for loyal fans.