www.vheadline.com Posted: Tuesday, February 25, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

In the run up to February 27, 1989 “Caracazo” anniversary, Cofavic human rights group, which was created out of the event, has once again slammed the government for failing to act on an Inter American Human Rights Court (IAHRC) ruling issued on August 29, 2002, to compensate families of victims killed by the security forces.

Executive director, Liliana Ortega says it’s a shame that Venezuela has not complied with international norms and that people buried in a common grave have not yet been identified after 14 years.

Ortega also calls on the Attorney General’s Office to leave aside political interests and investigate the murders of three soldiers connected to Plaza Francia (Altamira), the violent incident between Metropolitan Police (PM) and government supporters stationed in La Campina and the death of 2 government supporters in Los Proceres on January 3.

Ortega will visit the Inter American Human Rights Commission in Costa Rica this week to follow up the group’s complaint against the mushrooming of police murder squads throughout Venezuela, which the government has not acted upon, as well as the case of 60 prisoners murdered at the infamous Catia prison in 1992.

Among other abuses, Cofavic will highlight in its report are: generalized impunity, the security “Plan Avila” implemented in April 2002, the Supreme Tribunal of Justice’s (TSJ) ruling allowing the use of soldiers to maintain public order, the government’s decree creating security zones in Caracas, raids on industrial plants (Valencia) and excessive use of force to repress public manifestations.

Even though the government has until August 2003 to comply with IAHR Court rulings, President Chavez Frias could encounter problems regarding his HR record … he can still be accused of failing to fulfill his electoral promise to make HR an integral part of his presidency … the army, National Guard (GN) and Metropolitan Police (PM) were responsible for blatant HR abuses during the Caracazo.

www.vheadline.com Posted: Monday, February 24, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Print & broadcast media have criticized children’s rights specialists meeting in Caracas to draw up a declaration outlining children’s rights situation in Latin America.  According to reporters, when delegates were asked to provide details and concrete analysis of supposed children’s rights violations in Venezuela during the national stoppage, they were only able to supply regional statistics.

The event was organized by the Education, Culture & Sports (MECD) Ministry, International Defense of Children (IDC), UNICEF, Inter American Institute of the Child (IAIC) and the Central American Parliament. IDC president Jorge Vila says 3 million children in Latin America are outside the school system.

Delegates have called on national institutions to place children first and undertake actions to protest children’s right to education, health, physical and psychological integrity.

Venezuelan children rights groups and UNICEF-Venezuela have failed to reply to reporters' jibes that alleged HR abuses against the right of education during the stoppage were bogus.

www.vheadline.com Posted: Monday, February 24, 2003 By: Robert Rudnicki

Amnesty International has issued a statement in which it expresses concern over the human rights situation in Venezuela at this time.  Last week's events, including the arrest of Venezuelan Federation of Chambers of Commerce & Industry (Fedecamaras) president Carlos Fernandez "could lead to a further deterioration of the human rights situation in the country."

With Fernandez now under house arrest pending trial and Confederation of Trade Unions (CTV) president Carlos Ortega, for whom an arrest warrant was also issued, currently on the run, Amnesty cautions "the judiciary has a key role in preventing these events from triggering an escalation of the human rights crisis," urging any legal action that is to be taken against the two strike leaders to be independent of any political interference and in line with international standards of due process, as outlined in the 1999 Constitution. 

web.amnesty.org AI Index: AMR 53/005/2003 (Public) News Service No: 041 21 February 2003

Amnesty International today expressed grave concern that this week's events in Venezuela -- including the detention of a prominent opposition figure and the killing of army dissidents -- could lead to a further deterioration of the human rights situation in the country," Amnesty International said.

At midnight on Wednesday 19 February, Carlos Fernandez, the President of the business association Fedecamaras, and a prominent leader of the general strike called by the opposition, was arrested by armed police agents in a restaurant in Caracas on charges including "rebellion, treason, instigation to commit criminal acts, conspiracy and sabotage". He was reportedly given access to legal counsel and his wife verified, after visiting him, that he had not been ill-treated.

Further warrants have reportedly been issued against other prominent members of the opposition who were involved in the 63-day national strike, including Carlos Ortega, head of the Venezuelan Workers Confederation (Confederación de Trabajadores Venezolanos,CTV), who has reportedly gone into hiding and claims that he fears for his safety if detained.

Although the government has denied any politically-motivated interference by the Executive in these arrests, days before President Hugo Chávez had urged judges and public prosecutors to take action against strike organisers. Furthermore, he has publicly expressed satisfaction at the arrests of what he called "coup plotters".

"The Judiciary has a key role in preventing these events from triggering an escalation of the human rights crisis," Amnesty International cautioned. The organization stated that any judicial action against the former leaders of the strike must be independent of any political interference and strictly adhere to international standards of due process, reflected in the constitution.

The arrest came only days after the deaths of three dissident soldiers and one woman last weekend. The victims, whose bound and gagged bodies were found at the beginning of this week in Caracas, had been shot dead. There were reported signs of torture on the bodies. The victims had been part of the anti-Chávez demonstration that had occupied Plaza Altamira in Caracas. The government has attributed the killings to internal feuds, while opposition figures stated publicly that the deaths were politically motivated.

"Given the Judiciary's crucial role in diffusing tensions around this case, there must be an immediate, impartial and exhaustive investigation into the killings," Amnesty International added.

"Immediate steps must be taken to protect witnesses who may be subject to intimidation given the politicised nature of the case".

An Accord Against Violence and for Peace and Democracy was signed between the government and the opposition on 18 February. The accord, brokered by César Gaviria, secretary-general of the Organisation of American States (OAS), calls for the generation of "a climate of peace and calm in the country" and for the legislature to establish a "peace commission" that would be charged with investigating the deaths that took place during the failed coup against President Hugo Chávez in April 2002.

Amnesty International reiterated its call on the government, opposition and international community to ensure that respect for human rights principles is central to the agenda for resolving the crisis.

Background

Throughout this year, political polarization in Venezuela has been threatening to lead to large-scale violence. Tension was especially intense during the 63-day national strike that ended earlier this month, which had been convened by the opposition to overthrow President Chávez. Three people were killed during an opposition demonstration held on 6 December in Francia Square in Caracas. The strike paralysed many sectors of the economy and analysts forecast that the Venezuela economy may shrink by up to 25% this year.

On 11 April 2002, a similar national strike led to acts of violence which left 20 dead. This violence in turn led to a failed coup and the temporary detention of President Chávez. On 13 April, the President returned to power after major national and international protests at the breaking of the constitutional order. Since then, there have been attempts to negotiate a solution. César Gaviria, President of the Organization of American States is currently acting as a mediator in talks between the government and the opposition.

For more background information, see Venezuela: A Human Rights Agenda for the Current Crisis (AMR 53/001/2003), published by Amnesty International in January 2003: web.amnesty.org

Public Document

For more information please call Amnesty International's press office in London, UK, on +44 20 7413 5566 Amnesty International, 1 Easton St., London WC1X 0DW. web: www.amnesty.org

For latest human rights news view news.amnesty.org

www.sltrib.com

Former President Carter tells a "town meeting" at Snowbird's Cliff Lodge on Thursday that the United States should intensify its peace efforts in the Middle East and focus on aiding poorer nations.

BY DAWN HOUSE and PAUL ROLLY THE SALT LAKE TRIBUNE

    SNOWBIRD -- Former President Carter, speaking in Utah on Thursday night, said that the great animosity toward the United States overseas is the result of America abandoning peace efforts in the Middle East.     He also noted that, while the United States provides weapons to the rest of the planet, less than one-tenth of 1 percent of the nation's gross national product -- the least amount of any developed nation -- goes to giving assistance to the world's poor.     Carter, 78, was appearing at a private "town meeting" with 300 donors and friends to raise money for the Atlanta-based Carter Center, which promotes peace, democracy and world health. He was accompanied by his wife, Rosalynn.     After a presentation about the work of the center, Carter opened the room to questions, but his starstruck audience mostly avoided the issue of war with Iraq, and he did not mention it directly.     One man did want to know if Carter, as reported in Britain's Daily Mirror, had signed a petition opposing going to war. Carter said the story was not true, that reporters had come to his Sunday school while he was there, but he told them he did not give interviews in church.     Since Feb. 6, when Secretary of State Colin Powell brought the U.S. case against Saddam Hussein to the U.N. Security Council, Carter has refused numerous other requests seeking comment.     In his most recent statement about Iraq, issued Jan. 31, he said "any belligerent move by Saddam against a neighbor would be suicidal" with the country under intense monitoring from satellite surveillance and the U.N. inspection team.     "If Iraq does possess concealed weapons, as is quite likely," Carter had said, "Saddam would use them only in the most extreme circumstances, in the face of an invasion of Iraq, when all hope of avoiding the destruction of his regime is lost."     Carter did not comment Thursday on Powell's recent address, but he did have great praise for the secretary of state.     "Colin Powell is caught in difficult circumstances," Carter said. "I'm glad he's there."     Carter also said he hoped President Bush and future administrations would want to take advantage of his expertise and the resources of the Carter Center.     He said he consulted past presidents during his own administration, but that Bush had not contacted him in the past two years -- until last week.     "I had written op-ed pieces somewhat critical" of the Bush administration, Carter said, implying that is what prompted the call. He didn't elaborate.     On Saturday at Snowbird, a fund-raising auction will be held for the not-for-profit, nongovernmental Carter Center, which the Carters founded in 1982.     Among items to be auctioned is a coffee table handcrafted by the former, one-term president.     The auction is closed, but the public may view items and enter bids by visiting www.cartercenter.org.     The Carters will be in Utah through Sunday.     The Carter Center's peace initiatives in the past year included Carter's trip to Cuba, efforts to promote dialogue in Venezuela and missions to oversee elections in Sierra Leone, Mali and Jamaica.     The center also has ongoing projects to eradicate diseases in Africa and Latin America.     Carter became the third president to win the Nobel Peace Prize, when he was honored in October for his efforts in negotiating solutions to conflicts worldwide.     President Theodore Roosevelt got his for negotiating the end of the Russo-Japanese War in 1905 and President Wilson for his role in the 1919 Versailles Conference after World War I.     While in the White House, Carter helped secure the 1978 Camp David accords for peace between Israel and Egypt. Since his defeat by Ronald Reagan in 1980, Carter has promoted human rights and most recently, criticized U.S. leaders' "preeminent obsession" with Iraq while not pressing for resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or pressuring North Korea to stop developing nuclear bombs.