NGO urges Venezuelan Government to brief about Chávez's health

Non-governmental organization Transparency Venezuela, a corruption watchdog, on Friday urged the Venezuelan Government to disclose updated information about Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez's health condition, claiming that opacity hits all Latin America. 

The statement was issued shortly after the Venezuelan Government conceded that President Chávez is not making any progress from the respiratory distress that emerged upon his forth cancer surgery, performed on December 11 in Havana. 

The NGO's executive director, Mercedes Freitas, advocated citizens' right to information over the government officials' right to privacy.

In her view, "it is more harmful" to hide the truth about the president's health following his surgery, than reveal it.

Freitas asserted that Venezuela is facing "serious institutional fragility," adding that "the current situation (of President Chávez) needs to be known immediately" in order to take actions accordingly.

This situation affects negatively "all Latin America," the NGO's executive director said. "Many countries" in the region have "developed a relationship of dependence on Venezuela."

Translated by Jhean Cabrera