MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Chavez regime holds at least 40 political prisoners claim human rights groups

Daily protests are silenced through a strong media control

Venezuelan human rights organizations estimate the regime of President Hugo Chavez is holding at least 40 political prisoners and over 2.000 people have been sentenced for participating in rallies organized by the opposition to protest “Bolivarian revolution” legislation and initiatives.

Some of the protests have been triggered by labour disputes, lack of basic public utilities services, shortage of food, and other daily domestic inconveniences, mostly unheard of because of the strong control over the media.

“You can see an almost systematic relation between the Executive Office opinions and those of the magistrates from the judicial branch and other organizations responsible for the monitoring of basic rights”, said Lilian Ortega, head of the human rights organization, Cofavic.

Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez avoids talking about the issue, although at occasions he has mentioned “political prisoners”. However he refuses to accept people are persecuted or jailed for political reasons and describes those sentenced as “corrupt or murderers”, whatever the case.

“The government is appealing to repression to contain protests, but will it be successful? We don’t know. But it has reacted by arresting low profile innocent students as a signal so that leaders don’t continue organizing protests; similarly with political leaders, so that they are well aware they are not untouchable for the regime”, explains solicitor Alfredo Romero, who defends several political detainees.

Among these figure two former cabinet ministers, both retired generals and one of them in particular a former mentor and advisor of President Chavez. Other prisoners include opposition politicians, students and businessmen.

Activists from Venezuela’s Education and Human Rights Action Program, Provea, claim that the 2.000 sentenced have no where to appeal. They also claim evidence of 800 attacks to the media and reporters in the last five years, “but with not a single soul arrested, sentenced or detained” for any of these crimes.