Politics
The US State Department published on Wednesday its 2008 country report on human rights practices, which claims that there was an "erosion" on Venezuela's civil rights and democracy.  

The US government document devoted 32 pages to Venezuela and said that the "politicization of the judiciary and official harassment of the political opposition and the media characterized the human rights situation during the year." 

According to the paper, the human rights problems that were reported in Venezuela are: unlawful killings; harsh prison conditions; arbitrary arrests and detentions; a corrupt, inefficient, and politicized judicial system characterized by trial delays, impunity, and violations of due process; official intimidation and attacks on the independent media; discrimination based on political grounds; widespread corruption at all levels of government; violence against women; trafficking in persons; and restrictions on workers' right of association.

The report was based on information issued by Venezuelan NGOs dedicated to monitoring human rights such as Provea and Foro Penal.

No power separation
In the section related to Respect for the integrity of the person, the US report says that although the Venezuelan Constitution provides for an independent judiciary, "the judiciary also was highly inefficient, sometimes corrupt, and subject to political influence." It adds that "particularly the Attorney General's Office has been pressured by the executive branch."

Citing NGO Foro Penal as a source, the US State Department argues that 40 percent of the judges are provisional and temporary. It questions that the Supreme Tribunal's Judicial Committee may hire and fire those judges "without cause and without explanation."
rtheis@eluniversal.com

Translated by Gerardo Cárdenas

Reyes Theis
EL UNIVERSAL