Anzoategui police murder squads kill 300 since 2000 acting with impunity

<a href=www.vheadline.com>Venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Wednesday, June 04, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Family members of victims of police murder squads in Anzoategui State have gone to Caracas to highlight their situation and lodge a formal complaint at the Attorney General's Office about constant police harassment and threats. 

Anzoategui State Human Rights Foundation president, Alcides Magallanes claims there have been 300 extra-judicial killings attributed to police murder squads since 2000 ... "the killer police officers are under the wing of State Governor David da Lima and started functioning after a police officer was wounded ... since then it has been eye for eye." 

Foundation coordinator Veronica Avila says the State Police (Polianzoategui) is responsible for 70% of the murders and the rest are attributed to municipal police forces, Police Detective Branch (CICPC) and the National Guard (GN). 

Showing a bizarre side of the murder gangs, the Foundation's leaders say the squads have not been targeting them but rather their families with threats. 

The commission protesting in Caracas claims that Anzoategui has suffered more homicides at the hands of the police than Portuguesa State, which has at least two known police murder gangs ... in the latter state there have been alleged 279 extra-judicial killings since 1999.