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Fabiola Sanchez: Students end hunger strike in Venezuela
By Other Sources on 9 Dec, 2009
The Associated Press, December 8, 2009 CARACAS, Venezuela A group of college students ended a hunger strike after 17 days following a meeting Tuesday with Organization of American States representatives to air their concerns about human rights in Venezuela. Student leader Julio Rivas said the protest achieved its objective and the three OAS officials visiting from Washington agreed to relay their concerns to OAS Secretary-General Jose Miguel Insulza.A dozen students started the protest Nov. 21 outside the OAS office in Caracas, aiming to press the body to look into their complaints, including allegations that President Hugo Chavez's government abuses the legal system to persecute opponents."Today we have an official OAS commission that came to receive the complaint of human rights violations, of repression and political persecution," Rivas said.In a statement, Insulza said OAS officials were relieved the students ended the hunger strike, "because that way talks regarding a possible visit from the Inter-American Human Rights Commission can be taken up."Insulza noted such a visit would have to be authorized by Chavez's government and said he hoped the administraiton would allow him to personally visit Venezuela... more »
Chavez urges 3-minute showers to conserve water
By Other Sources on 22 Oct, 2009
Reuters CARACAS (Reuters) - Leftist President Hugo Chavez called on Venezuelans on Wednesday to stop singing in the shower and to wash in three minutes because the oil-exporting nation is having problems supplying water and electricity. Venezuela has suffered several serious blackouts in the past year because of rapidly growing demand and under-investment, which has been aggravated by a drop in water levels in hydroelectric dams that provide most of its energy. Chavez announced energy-saving measures and said he would create a ministry to deal with the electricity shortages, which have affected the image of his socialist revolution before legislative elections due in 2010... more »
Advocates Appeal to Brazil on Venezuela's Political Prisoners and Mercosur
By Other Sources on 21 Oct, 2009
Representatives for political prisoner Eligio Cedeno visit Brazil to raise awarenessSAO PAULO, Oct. 20 /PRNewswire/ -- Representatives of the Venezuelan political prisoner Eligio Cedeno are visiting Sao Paulo and Brasilia this week to seek urgent support against the ongoing abuses of human rights and political persecution by the Venezuelan government. The situation for Cedeno, who is just one of dozens of high profile political prisoners in the country, is currently in legal limbo, as an appeals court of the Supreme Court of Justice has ordered his immediate release while the 38th control court has so far refused to fulfill its legal obligation to execute the order."Brazil is a prestigious and respected regional leader, and part of theresponsibility of this role is the defense of basic, universal rights," said Robert Amsterdam, international lawyer for Cedeno. "Right now we are witnessing the Venezuelan government's open interference in the judicial process, which poses enormous risks to Brazil as Venezuela's ascension to Mercosur is under consideration."... more »
Rory Carroll, “Venezuela: Chavez accused of turning tyrant as even former allies languish in jail: President using courts and intimidation to neutralise opponents, critics say”
By Ana Julia Jatar on 14 Oct, 2009
The Guardian (London) - Final Edition, October 13, 2009 He was the man who saved Hugo Chavez when all seemed lost. A coup had ousted Venezuela's president and buried, it seemed, his leftist experiment.General Raul Baduel, however, stayed loyal and tilted the army Chavez's way during tumultuous days in April 2002, paving the way for his return to power and restoring democracy. A grateful Chavez hailed the general a hero and appointed him defence minister. They became close allies and confidants.Times change. Baduel is now stripped of power and facing corruption charges that could keep him in jail for decades. Prosecutors say he pilfered state funds. Baduel says his crime was to realise - and declare - that the president was a tyrant... more »
“Venezuela Russophiles”
By Ana Julia Jatar on 22 Sep, 2009
Venezuela and Russia have mutual interests in the former's arms build-up and in energy dealsVenezuela continues to deepen its diplomatic and economic relations with Russia, as evidenced by President Hugo Chávez's recent visit--his eighth--to Moscow. Agreements were signed in the areas of trade and energy, with an arms deal getting the most attention. The motives behind the relationship are in part political, with Venezuela seeking to strengthen its hand against the US and offset its influence in Latin America, and Russia interested in expanding its presence in the region. But the two countries are also linked as major global energy producers with mutual interests in expanding co-operation in this area.The latest arms deal involves the purchase of 92 T-72S tanks, Smerch missiles with a range of 90 km and an advanced anti-aircraft defence system including radar and missiles with a range of 400 km, according to announcements by Mr Chávez made on September 13th. The Russian government will provide a credit line of US $2.2bn to finance the acquisition... more »
Chavez’s Cheap Oil and Anti-Semitism
By Ana Julia Jatar on 7 Feb, 2009
On Jan 7 Joseph Kennedy chairman of Citizens Energy, a nonprofit organization that administers the Venezuelan home heating oil program for the poor households in Massachusetts, announced the continuation of the program and said that he was "personally aware of President Chavez's genuine concern for the most vulnerable, regardless of where they may live." He also said that this was "a clear, direct message ... of [Chavez's] desire to strengthen relations between his country and the United States."Three weeks later, Friday January 30th 2009, fifteen heavily armed men broke in and desecrated one of the oldest Synagogues in Venezuela. During a five hour raid in Shabbat, Torah scrolls were damaged, prayer books ripped apart and anti-Semitic graffiti like “death to all” and “Jews get out” sprayed on the walls. For the first time since the Jews began living in Venezuela two hundred years ago, this community feels threatened and unprotected. To make things worse, the perpetrators took with them computers with the private data, names, addresses and financial information of Venezuelan Jews. One week later, the perpetrators of these acts have not been found. Some fear they will never be. more »
Eman al Obeidi, ciudadana Libia estudiante de postgrado de derecho de 28 años de edad y hasta hace pocos días una desconocida, se ha convertido por su coraje y valentía en el símbolo de la resistencia Libia y en el emblema de las desigualdades a las cuales está sometida la
Cuando en la década de los ochenta se anunciaba una autopista cibernética que nos conduciría a la revolución informática, nadie se imaginaba que poco tiempo después esa misma autopista abriera paso a otras revoluciones: las de carne y hueso. Y es que era imposible predecir que con el poder de