Tag Archives: opposition

Aug
16
2010
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Judge jailed in Venezuela hopes a successful election sets her free

This article was originally posted by The Miami Herald

María Lourdes Afiuni’s campaign headquarters is six paces long and two paces wide. Visiting hours are Wednesday and Sunday, but guests risk being strip searched.

Among the hundreds of candidates in next month’s parliamentary elections in Venezuela, Afiuni is one of at least four running from behind bars.

The Sept. 26 vote is expected to give Venezuela’s opposition a chance to claw back power from the supporters of President Hugo Chávez who have dominated the parliament since 2005. But some are using the vote to shine a spotlight on a judicial system they say has been used to harass and imprison dissenters.

Tallies vary, but human rights groups say there are 25 to 28 political prisoners in Venezuela.

The independent party La Base Decide has drafted three of them into the upcoming race: Afiuni, a judge with a two-decade track record; José Sánchez, a former security chief for Zulia state and an ally of exiled opposition leader Manuel Rosales; and Otto Gebauer, a former army captain jailed for his role in a failed 2002 coup and who insists he was only following orders. A fourth opposition candidate, Belagio Pilieri, remains in jail despite being absolved of charges of misuse of funds.

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Aug
12
2010
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Venezuela Aims To Keep Bankers From Owning Media Cos

This article was originally posted by The Wall Street Journal

Venezuelan Vice President Elias Jaua asked lawmakers Wednesday to approve a plan to prevent owners of banks from controlling large media companies.

The proposal, similar to legislation in Ecuador, argues that freedom of speech can’t exist if banks or business monopolies control the media.

Venezuela’s National Assembly has been debating various proposed changes to banking laws since April, and this latest request from the administration of President Hugo Chavez would be part of that reform bill.

The idea to keep bankers and media moguls separate comes because of the government’s discomfort with Globovision, an anti-Chavez television station, and Nelson Mezerhane, one of the station’s controlling shareholders. In addition to holding a 26% stake in Globovision, Mezerhane also ran a mid-sized bank, Banco Federal, which was seized by authorities in June for alleged liquidity problems.

Globovision is the only major television outlet in the country critical of Chavez.

The Chavez administration didn’t renew the license of Radio Caracas Television, also a voice of political opposition, in 2007, sparking accusations that the government was silencing dissenting media.

“We can’t talk about having a full democracy while allowing corporate interests to consolidate power,” Jaua said.

The government, which took control of Banco Federal and now plans to liquidate it, has issued an arrest warrant for Mezerhane. The government also said it has since taken ownership of Mezerhane’s stake in Globovision.

Mezerhane, who resides in the U.S., denies all the charges against him and said he doesn’t plan to return to Venezuela anytime soon.

 
Jul
27
2010
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Chaos in Caracas: Chavez Says U.S. Hastening Plans to Attack

This article was orginally posted by The Huffington Post

Earlier this month Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez ordered scientists to exhume the 180-year-old remains of his hero, independence leader Simón Bolívar. But over the weekend Chávez showed his biggest bone to pick is still with America.

On Saturday, Chávez announced on State Television that the United States is accelerating a plan to attack the oil-rich nation under the pretext of fighting drug trafficking, citing a memo from a secret source inside America. The announcement capped off a frenetic two-week period in Venezuela that began with the interment of Bolívar and included a move by Chávez to seize a major stake of Globovision, the country’s only remaining opposition broadcast outlet. By last Thursday, Chávez had formally severed diplomatic relations with backyard rival Colombia. And then, just for good measure, he threatened to halt all oil exports to America in the face of a U.S. attack.

Of course, this isn’t the first time the mercurial Venezuelan leader has made anti-American accusations of dubious merit, and Latin American historians say this is just another case of Chávez being Chávez. But one still wonders why the president is ramping up the rhetoric so drastically now. Some analysts have suggested that his antics serve as an opening salvo of aggression toward Juan Manuel Santos, who will be inaugurated president of Colombia on Aug. 7, when Álvaro Uribé, an ally of President Obama, steps down. But it’s equally likely that Chávez wants to upend his own country’s parliamentary elections in September.

Venezuela’s economy is sagging and its crime rate is spiking. Chávez’s rural base is upset with him after 30,000 tons of food, destined for poor neighborhoods, was discovered rotting in Venezuelan warehouses. Chávez’s socialist government is in no danger of losing the majority, but opposition parties are making inroads. In desperate need of diversion, Chávez has created a state of high alert.

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