President Hugo Chavez of Venezuela is no stranger to controversy. He rose to power as a champion of individual freedom and democracy but has since become an autocrat who purposefully meddles in other nations’ affairs. He’s amassed personal power, trampled democratic traditions and seemingly perfected the dubious art of stirring anti-American passions. It’s hardly a wonder then that he’s denounced as “pure garbage” a report that charges that Venezuela, i.e. Mr. Chavez, is guilty of widespread human rights violations and political repression.
The report issued last week by the widely respected Inter-American Commission on Human Rights cited a lack of independence for Venezuela’s judiciary, the closing of media outlets that are critical of the government and political persecution of individuals and groups by the Chavez government. Despite the denials, there’s a great deal of evidence to support the charges.
Last week, for example, Venezuela’s Supreme Court voided the election of an anti-Chavez mayor and ordered him replaced by an ardent supporter of the Venezuelan president. The reason? The elected candidate failed to pay $292 in local taxes, which, the court said, proved he lacked “the suitability (required) for the management of a mayoral post.” Never mind that the money was supposed to be paid by the owner of the house the candidate rented rather than by the candidate.
That’s pretty much the course these days in Venezuela. The Supreme Court seems to be an instrument of Mr. Chavez’s regime rather than an independent and unbiased judicial body. That’s understandable, given that members of the court are appointed by Venezuela’s National Assembly, which is firmly in the control of Mr. Chavez.
The human rights report rightly denounces such influence on the courts. It charges that the Venezuelan judicial system willingly plays a role in what it labeled “a trend toward the use of criminal charges to punish people exercising their right to demonstrate or protest against government policies.” Mr. Chavez says that’s not true, but there’s evidence to the contrary.
The report notes that more than 2,200 people in Venezuela have been indicted on criminal charges stemming from their participation in what ordinarily would be legal protests in recent years. It is possible that the number is higher; there’s strong suspicion among rights activists that many other individuals have been charged in quasi-secret proceedings.
Abuse of the court system goes hand-in-hand with Mr. Chavez’s on-going attempt to silence the opposition media. He’s closed some outlets and is waging war with Globovision, a TV network critical of his policies. The network has survived a series of fines on trumped up charges and threats to force it off the air. Despite the harassment, it remains a powerful voice for democracy, and a thorn in Mr. Chavez’s side.
The human rights report on Venezuela rings true. Mr. Chavez obviously thinks otherwise, but his policies and actions are inimical to fair and democratic government. That’s reason enough for the United States and other nations to continue to carefully monitor what transpires in Venezuela.