Chief Justice of the Supreme Tribunal of Justice Luisa Estella Morales described the report entitled Democracy and Human Rights in Venezuela, which was issued last week by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, as an attempt to "discredit" the Venezuelan Judiciary.

The report refers, among other things, to the "lack of judicial independence and autonomy" as one of the weakest points in Venezuela democracy.

"The Venezuelan Judiciary is not in the dock, as claimed by some sectors that only seek to discredit Venezuelan justice (...) In trying to discredit the TSJ, they seek to damage the image of a government system," Morales said. The Chief Justice made these statements in a TV interview with former Vice President José Vicente Rangel.

The president of the TSJ denied reports that most of Venezuelan judges are provisional, which means that they can be removed at any time. On the contrary, Morales said, 85 percent of judges have a guaranteed post.