Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez has ordered authorities to investigate into the murder of Julio Soto, a student leader who was gunned down while he was driving a vehicle in the western state of Zulia, as reported on Thursday by Higher Education Minister Héctor Navarro.

"There is strong willingness to clarify this case as soon as possible, regardless of the perpetrators of the crime and regardless of the consequences entailed by the investigations of the authorities responsible for solving the murder," said Navarro.

Navarro said that the Venezuelan president urged security agencies to solve the case as soon as possible. "Those who killed Julio Soto must be brought to justice," said the minister, as reported by the state-run news agency Agencia Boliviariana de Noticias (ABN).