February 28, 2010

The human rights branch of the Organization of American States has released a 300-page report criticizing Venezuela and its president Hugo Chavez. The report says that Venezuela hinders free speech, the rights of its citizens to protest, and the ability of opposition politicians to function. The report states that Venezuela has punished those who criticize Chavez or advocate a form of government that is different from Chavez's. The state has punished critics such as anti-government television stations, demonstrators, and political opponents. The report also asserted that Chavez holds tremendous influence over the other branches of government, particularly the judiciary. Judges that issue decisions that the government does not like can easily be fired. Political rivals have also seen their powers usurped by Chavez, such as Antonio Ledezma, the mayor of Caracas.

Venezuela declined to cooperate with the commission, and as a result commissioners held hearings and sought out Venezuelan activists and politicians to compile information about the suspected abuses. The commission also incorporated responses from Venezuelan authorities to written questions. Chavez has previously complained that the OAS is simply beholden to the interests of the United State. However, the report was compiled and written by the OAS's Inter-American Commission on Human Rights which is run independently from the OAS and largely free of its political machinations. Commissioners for the report came from several OAS nations including Antigua, Argentina, Brazil, Chile, El Salvador, and the United States.

Chavez did not have an immediate response to the report, but Venezuela's ambassador to the OAS said the commission has become a "confrontational political actor instead of an advocate for defending human rights." He also said the commission had shown support for the failed 2002 coup against Chavez (which the commission denies) and that its members are dedicated to weakening progressive social movements in Latin America. He said, "They have become a mafia of bureaucrats who want to play a bigger role in the efforts against Venezuela's government." The government of Venezuela says it permits protests and opposition groups, while focusing much of their energy on improving Venezuelans' standard of living.

Paulo Sergio Pinheiro, a Brazilian member of the commission who specializes in Venezuela, said, "The threats to human rights and democracy are many and very serious, and that's why we published the report. " He added that the commission recognized Venezuela's progress in areas such as reducing poverty, but he said there can be no "trade-off" between political and economic progress. He said the hope of the commission is that the government will make improvements based on the report's recommendations. He said the report is not an attempt to isolate Venezuela, but to have them more involved.

Though some are skeptical that Chavez or the government will make improvements based on the report. Those that track Venezuela say that often Chavez is prone to disproportionate response when criticized. The Americas director for Human Rights Watch said that after releasing a critical report of Chavez, he and a fellow investigator were detained at their Caracas hotel and escorted by armed agents onto a Brazil-bound flight. He said, "It would be nice to think the Chavez government would pay attention to the report", however Chavez often has "responded to all such criticism by attacking its critics, often using conspiracy theories and far-fetched allegations to distract attention from their own human rights practices." (Full Story)