Venezuela Public Ombudsman - National Guard Committed Excesses

Venezuela Public Ombudsman Says National Guard Committed Excesses
http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news.php?newsno=1237

Venezuela’s Public Ombudsman (Defensor del Pueblo), Germán Mundaraín, presented a report to the National Assembly yesterday, in which he says that the National Guard committed excesses during its confrontations with protesters between February 27 and March 5. According to the report, however, there are no “disappeared” or political prisoners. He added, though, that there is a politician in prison, Carlos Melo, who was arrested in the act of committing a crime.

The Public Ombudsman's office is one of Venezuela's five state powers (legislative, judicial, executive, electoral, and citizen), which is supposed to defend the rights of citizens vis-a-vis the state. The citizen power consists of the offices of attorney general, public comptroller, and public ombudsman.

According to Mundaraín, “While it is true that the United Nations authorizes the use of tear gas and plastic bullets, we believe that there was an exaggerated use of these instruments. We saw how some youths were mistreated; both state police and the National Guard practiced cruel acts, kicked, and hit people with their helmets.” He added, “the National Guard was also hit by bullets, but that does not justify their response.”

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And from the BBC

Venezuela troops 'used torture'
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/3571383.stm

Mr Mundarain, known as the Human Rights Defender, accused troops of a "disproportionate use of force" and the "cruel treatment" of detainees.

He said some of those arrested had been repeatedly kicked and hit with helmets. But he said none of the deaths which occurred during the protests were caused by the troops

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"These detentions gave rise to cases in which some officers went beyond the legitimate use of force," he said in the report, citing seven cases of torture and 17 of "cruel, inhumane or degrading treatment".

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But he also criticised the opposition leaders, accusing them of "instigating violence" and saying that the troops had been fired on by protesters.

This, along with his claim that none of the detainees could be considered political prisoners because they had been disrupting public order, has angered the opposition.

Seattle, San Fransisco, Miami, Quebec City, just for starters. A few excesses there as well.

Please.

These chubbos are definitely NOT in prime "peaceful demonstration" form, are they?

"We shall overcome!"

Latin America is turning AWAY from these people and their fascism in large numbers. Even _Bush's use of our treasury to fund the opposition covertly and otherwise eventually will fail.

during the IWR vote.

;-)

I'd have a thing or two to say to them!

Chavez truly is Pol Pot II...

Venezuela knows where its at. Bolivar would be proud.

V

I have no idea what you are talking about.

These guard troops were not acting under Chavez orders. All the human rights reports indicate that these are actions of individuals and certain groups not under the direction of the federal government. The guard's performance is actually much improved from the past but obviously still needs some serious attention. A brutal response to aggressive attack but still wrong.

Good to see the ombudsman office and that branch doing their jobs.

some people on this board go on about how we should be intervening to bring democracy to the third world... yet the traffic I see here should be heading in the other direction.

V

proposals that John Kennedy might have recognized.
Like turning unused land over to peasants, building schools and the like.

If you check out both Vlad's and my posts on the subject you would realize we've been saying just as much regarding this subject. Only to get flamed left and right, by ignorant people who call Mr Chavez a marxist thug.

Further more I'll say to those people that our own national guard would make Chavez's seem like a bunch of boy scouts if we were shooting and throwing molotov cocktails at them.

And a good opening to point out something others may not be aware of (that JFK himself proposed SOME of these things he is doing back in his day).

:thumbsup:

that, "Knowledge is Power". If you are "on board" with respect to not only "knowledge" but also the capacity to both think and demonstrate a commitment to equality and justice,...you will have earned respect. Consistency is very important proof of those who truly value human life. We can handle the fact that life and especially people are in color and multi-dimensional. We reject inconsistent application of standards especially when the application proves to be of the one-dimensional and black/white variety at the benefit of a few power-seeking, greedy handful.

:kick:

that's indeed what I was saying. I'm just in a bit of a caustic mood today...

V

Stuff I posted in GD.
Have a good weekend everyone.


Venezuela - Opposition lacking united candidature (Cuban paper)
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1291195


Venezuela : AFL-CIO involved like they were in Chile 1973
http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=104x1293129

:kick:

So Venezuela is as bad on human rights abuses as... the United States.

Actually, I think the Miami FTAA report would be worse. Pepper spray isn't authorized by the UN.