News Interactive From correspondents in Caracas, Venezuela 21apr03

POLICE in Venezuela have reportedly arrested one of 14 military officers who publicly opposed President Hugo Chavez last year. Army Colonel John Giussepe Piglieri was arrested in a shopping centre in the city of Maracay, north-east of Caracas, his sister-in-law said.

Nardick de Diaz told the Globovision network he was transferred to an army base in the city.

The colonel was one of 14 officers that declared themselves "in rebellion" against the Chavez government in October, and was among officers who camped at the Plaza Altamira, a centre of opposition activity during a lengthy general strike that attempted to oust Chavez.

The only other officer arrested for his open opposition to Chavez, a general with the militarised National Guard police, Luis Alfonso Martnez, has been under house arrest since December 30.

Piglieri faces charges of rebellion and dereliction of duty for abandoning his command.

<a href=reuters.com>Reuters Fri April 18, 2003 02:28 PM ET

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters) - Eleven Venezuelan prisoners were hacked and shot to death on Friday, two of them beheaded, when rival gangs clashed with pistols, knives and homemade shotguns at one of the nation's largest prisons, officials said.

Prison authorities called in national guard troops and police who restored order after the gangs battled in the Yare 2 Prison in Miranda state.

"Early this morning, apparently there was a war between gangs for control of the prison. We have 11 dead and 40 injured," Carlos Alberto Sutrun, director of the national prison system, told Reuters.

"I understand that two were decapitated," he said.

The Yare prison complex, where President Hugo Chavez spent two years after leading a failed coup in 1992 before his 1998 election, holds about 1,200 prisoners.

Prison riots are common in Venezuela where an inefficient justice system leaves many inmates behind bars in overcrowded facilities for months before they go to trial.

Yare prisoners went on hunger strike about a month ago to protest conditions and delays in trial processing.

More than 240 inmates were killed and 1,249 injured from violence in the nation's prison system between October 2001 and September 2002, according to Ministry of Interior and Justice statistics.

A recent State Department human rights report found 48 percent of all prisoners in Venezuela were in pre-trail detention. The report said that general prison conditions are harsh with 22 of the country's 30 jails suffering from overcrowding.

Posted on Thu, Apr. 17, 2003 CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela -They used to be keepers of the peace. Now the 500 police officers under Miguel Pinto's command are mostly just killing time.

Ever since President Hugo Chavez clamped down on the Caracas police, charging them with instigating a coup, Pinto's 500 motorcycle police officers spend most of their days playing chess or exercising at their hilltop precinct.

Soldiers search them as they enter or leave the building, and allow only limited patrols. They've also taken away the officers' submachine guns, tear gas grenades and shotguns.

"They took all of our arms except the .38-caliber revolvers," said Pinto, chief of the police department's Phoenix motorcycle brigade. "We're practically defenseless."

Chavez brushed aside a Supreme Court ruling and said he would keep his firm grip on the 9,000-strong city police because they were "the lance that started the coup" last year. Police deny it and complain crime is booming because of the restrictions.

The coup began after 19 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded when gunfire erupted during an opposition march to the presidential palace on April 11, 2002.

The bloodshed prompted several generals to oust Chavez. Loyalist troops restored the president on April 14.

The government insists city police fired indiscriminately at civilian Chavez supporters and illegally detained cabinet ministers. Police deny firing at pro-Chavez gunmen and say they had no hand in the detentions.

In December, Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered the government to return police control to Caracas Mayor Alfredo Pena, a Chavez opponent.

The government has yet to do so. On Wednesday, a court ordered the arrests of eight police officers accused of killing two people and wounding 35 at the march. Pena's government will appeal the ruling, his spokesman, Ramon Muchacho, said Thursday.

The same court had dismissed murder charges against four Chavez supporters who allegedly were videotaped shooting into the crowd. It upheld lesser charges of improper use of firearms.

Demoralized police commanders say that Chavez's takeover has reduced patrols and given criminals the edge in this capital of 4 million people.

Soldiers have confiscated weapons, impounded many police vehicles and stationed armored personnel carriers outside police precincts to monitor officers' movements.

Pena says police are now outgunned by criminals using Uzi submachine guns, grenades and high-powered rifles equipped with silencers and armor-piercing bullets. Bandits recently launched a rocket-propelled grenade on a city highway to rob an armored truck.

"These violent groups enjoy total impunity," Pena said. "Chavez wants to maintain that impunity and the police are an obstacle to that plan."

Since November, 16 officers have been killed and more than 100 wounded, Pena said. One officer was killed in an ambush by government supporters, police say.

Chavez supporters say the police needed to be reined in.

"The police force was equipped like a small army," said legislator Nestor Leon, who claims city police routinely suppressed pro-government demonstrations.

Lina Ron, a prominent Chavez street activist whose followers have attacked opposition marches, insists police must be punished for the events of April 2002.

"They executed our comrades," Ron said. "The takeover must continue and those responsible for the deaths that day must be brought to justice."

CNN, Wednesday, April 16, 2003 Posted: 9:24 PM EDT (0124 GMT)

[Chavez] is going to be given a test, and a test is before him now. -- Secretary of State Colin Powell

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- The U.S. Embassy on Wednesday denied Venezuelan claims that the United States supported last year's short-lived coup against President Hugo Chavez.

Army Gen. Melvin Lopez said Tuesday that Venezuela had proof of U.S. involvement. He said on state television that three U.S. helicopters were in Venezuelan territory during the April 11-14 coup, but didn't elaborate further. "We have the evidence," he said.

"These speculations are unfounded, totally false," U.S. Embassy spokesman John Law told Union Radio on Wednesday.

Law denied any U.S. aircraft was in Venezuelan territory during the coup.

"There was no American plane or helicopter in Venezuelan territory at that date," he said.

Dissident generals rose up against Chavez after 19 Venezuelans died and over 100 were wounded by gunfire as opposition marchers clashed with government supporters in downtown Caracas.

Loyalists in the military helped Chavez regain power on the 14th.

Following his return, Chavez said "worrying details" had emerged suggesting a foreign country might have been involved in his temporary overthrow.

The Bush administration has repeatedly denied that it was involved in the coup.

Powell has concerns about Chavez's commitment to democracy

Secretary of State Colin Powell said Wednesday that Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez can show a commitment to democracy by holding a free and fair referendum later this year on whether he should step down.

In an interview with Associated Press Television News, Powell acknowledged that he has had "concerns about Chavez's commitment to the kinds of democratic institutions that we believe are vital in a democracy."

Chavez "is going to be given a test, and a test is before him now," Powell said, alluding to the referendum agreement brokered in recent days by the Organization of American States.

If Chavez agrees to a referendum and to an implementing role for the OAS and the Carter Center, "then he will be showing a commitment to democracy of the kind we believe is the correct form of democracy for our hemisphere."

He added that it is up to the Venezuelan people to make a judgment as to what kind of democracy they want for their country.

The Organization of American States announced Friday that the Venezuelan government and opposition had agreed to pave the way for a midterm referendum on Chavez's presidency. The OAS has been sponsoring the peace talks since November.

In the document, both sides agree to play by the rules as the opposition works toward a midterm referendum on Chavez's presidency while the chief of state has pledged to leave office if he loses.

Chavez, elected to a six-year term in 2000, accuses Venezuela's traditional elite of seeking his ouster and foiling his efforts to distribute Venezuela's oil riches to the poor.

His opposition accuses the former army paratrooper of imposing an authoritarian regime and ruining the economy.

Posted on Thu, Apr. 17, 2003 CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER KansasCity.com-Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela - They used to be keepers of the peace. Now the 500 police officers under Miguel Pinto's command are mostly just killing time.

Ever since President Hugo Chavez clamped down on the Caracas police, charging them with instigating a coup, Pinto's 500 motorcycle cops spend most of their days playing chess or exercising at their hilltop precinct.

Soldiers search them as they enter or leave the building, and allow only limited patrols. They've also taken away the officers' submachine guns, tear gas grenades and shotguns.

"They took all of our arms except the .38-caliber revolvers," said Pinto, chief of the police department's Phoenix motorcycle brigade. "We're practically defenseless."

On Friday, Chavez brushed aside a Supreme Court ruling and said he would keep his firm grip on the 9,000-strong city police because they were "the lance that started the coup" last year. Police deny it and complain crime is booming because of the restrictions.

The coup began after 19 people were killed and more than 100 were wounded when gunfire erupted during an opposition march to the presidential palace on April 11, 2002.

The bloodshed prompted several generals to oust Chavez. Loyalist troops restored the president on April 14.

The government insists city police fired indiscriminately at civilian Chavez supporters and illegally detained cabinet ministers. Police deny firing at pro-Chavez gunmen and say they had no hand in the detentions.

In December, Venezuela's Supreme Court ordered the government to return police control to Caracas Mayor Alfredo Pena, a Chavez opponent.

The government has yet to do so. On Wednesday, a court ordered the arrests of eight police officers accused of killing two people and wounding 35 at the march.

The same court had dismissed murder charges against four Chavez supporters who allegedly were videotaped shooting into the crowd. It upheld lesser charges of improper use of firearms.

Demoralized police commanders say that Chavez's takeover has reduced patrols and given criminals the edge in this capital of 4 million people.

Soldiers have confiscated weapons, impounded many police vehicles and stationed armored personnel carriers outside police precincts to monitor officers' movements.

Pena says police are now outgunned by criminals using Uzi submachine guns, grenades and high-powered rifles equipped with silencers and armor-piercing bullets. Bandits recently launched a rocket-propelled grenade on a city highway to rob an armored truck.

"These violent groups enjoy total impunity," Pena said. "Chavez wants to maintain that impunity and the police are an obstacle to that plan."

Since November, 16 officers have been killed and more than 100 wounded, Pena said. One officer was killed in an ambush by government supporters, police say.

Chavez supporters say the police needed to be reined in.

"The police force was equipped like a small army," said legislator Nestor Leon, who claims city police routinely suppressed pro-government demonstrations.

Lina Ron, a prominent Chavez street activist whose followers have attacked opposition marches, insists police must be punished for the events of April 2002.

"They executed our comrades," Ron said. "The takeover must continue and those responsible for the deaths that day must be brought to justice."