February 24

IACHR requests the Venezuelan government to guarantee all human rights
While the State has deployed efforts to guarantee citizens' access to health, education, food, jobs or housing, the government cannot undermine or fail to promote guarantees such as right to life, equality and freedom of expression.

The warning was made by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) in its report "Democracy and Human Rights in Venezuela," released on February 24 in Washington.

"The Commission emphasizes that observance of other fundamental rights cannot be sacrificed for the sake of realizing economic, social, and cultural rights. Human rights constitute an indissoluble whole, and, as the American Convention sets forth in its preamble, 'the ideal of free men enjoying freedom from fear and want can be achieved only if conditions are created whereby everyone may enjoy his economic, social, and cultural rights, as well as his civil and political rights."

The IACHR recognized in the over 300-page report the State's achievements with regard to the eradication of illiteracy, the set up of a primary health network, land distribution and the reduction of poverty.

However, the report also complained about violations to fundamental guarantees such as the right to life, through extrajudicial executions, and increasing insecurity; constraints on freedom of expression, with situations such as the revocation of licenses to broadcast to 30 radio stations and threats against another 200 more radio stations; and the lack of independence of the Judiciary in Venezuela, embodied in the temporary nature of judges and prosecutors.

This is the second report published by the IACHR devoted to Venezuela in the last ten years. The first was published in 2003, after the on-site visit to the country that the IACHR made in May 2002 following the coup d'état.

The government of President Hugo Chávez has refused to allow the IACHR to visit the country, arguing that this OAS body is an instrument of the United States and is biased.

Human rights watchdog: IACHR report shows political discrimination in Venezuela
The report released by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) about democracy and human rights in Venezuela shows the lack of an effective severability and independence of powers in the country and that there is a "very serious" political discrimination, Liliana Ortega, Executive Director of human rights organization Cofavic, said.

In her opinion, the report also shows that criminal law and its legal instruments are used to punish people who have expressed a different political opinion.

Ortega said that the report prepared by the IACHR ratifies the interdependence and indivisibility of human rights, which means that for the sake of realizing economic, social, and cultural rights, the observance of other fundamental rights, such as civil and political rights, cannot be sacrificed.

"The Commission acknowledged important achievements in such rights, but (noted that) civil and political rights may not be sequestrated in the name of it. What democratic States should do is to strike a true balance for full respect of human rights," Ortega said.

Human rights group: "Government must make a call for dialogue"
In the opinion of Marino Alvarado, coordinator of the NGO Venezuelan Program of Education-Action in Human Rights (Provea), the best thing for both the country and the government is that Venezuelan authorities "cautiously" discuss a report on human rights situation published by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and make a call for dialogue.

Alvarado thinks that it is not advisable that government officials decide to discredit immediately the report, as they did with previous reports and statements. In his view, if the government has a complaint or a difference (with the authors of the report) it has a legitimate right to express its position according to the procedures established by the IACHR and the Organization of American States (OAS).

The coordinator of Provea added that apart from making a call for dialogue, the government must establish short and medium term policies to abide by the recommendations.

February 25

Venezuela's ombudswoman does not recognize the IACHR as an impartial institution
The office of the Ombudsman does not recognize the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights (IACHR) as an impartial institution, said Venezuela's Ombudswoman Gabriela Ramírez at a press conference.

"We do not recognize the commission as an impartial institution able to tell the region which are the countries with the weakest record in human rights," Ramírez said at a press conference.

She said that the report published on February 24 by the IACHR related to issues such as the judiciary, due process, and the right to political participation reflects the discourse of sectors of the Venezuelan opposition.

According to Ramírez, the report's bias corresponds to "a campaign, a series of international statements to discredit the Venezuelan institutions and undermine the credibility of democratic institutions."

President Chávez calls IACHR report "ineffable, ignominious"
Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez termed "ineffable, ignominious" a report released by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), according to which, his government applies "serious restrictions" on human rights in the country.

"It is another report of the ineffable IACHR." "It is a real hotchpotch. It is shameful," Chávez said during a long press conference, Efe reported.

The president questioned again the moral ground of the Commission and blamed it for having "supported" a failed coup that ousted him for 48 hours in April 2002.

"It is the same Commission which backed (the de facto government of Pedro) Carmona. But this is part of the attacks, of continued threats against the Bolivarian revolution," Chávez said.

According to him, the alleged "continued campaign" encouraged by domestic and foreign oligarchs with the support of the US empire is aimed at "isolating Venezuela." The attempts, in his view, have been unsuccessful.

February 26

Ambassador to OAS: "Venezuela does not recognize the IACHR as a valid interlocutor"
Roy Chaderton, Venezuela's ambassador to the Organization of American States (OAS), said on February 26 that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has lost credibility in his country, because its members are not recognized as valid interlocutors.

Chaderton expressed his opinion about statements made by José Miguel Insulza, the OAS Secretary General, who said that Venezuela must initiate talks with the IACHR. President Hugo Chávez has expressed some days ago that Venezuela could withdraw from the IACHR, as a result of the report that urged the government to guarantee human rights to all citizens.

In view of the Venezuelan ambassador, the IACHR is an organization that responds to the interests of human rights bureaucrats. Therefore, he deems it reasonable to ask: "What are we doing here (in the IACHR)?" or "What is our role in the IACHR?"

Chaderton said that the IACHR has remained silent to allegations made by Venezuela, including the events related to the mass popular rebellion known as "Caracazo."