End impunity for Venezuela’s human rights violators

Fuente: http://www.miamiherald.com

BY IRWIN COTLER

AND JARED GENSER

JGENSER@PERSEUS-STRATEGIES.COM

02/16/2015 7:36 PM Updated: 

 02/17/2015 12:54 PM

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/opinion/op-ed/article10489547.html#storylink=cpy

A little over a year ago, Venezuelans took to the streets when student leaders organized a massive protest with opposition politicians to respond to the rapidly deteriorating economic and security situation. The protestors called for the resignation of President Nicolás Maduro. On that day and over the subsequent months, the government responded with an iron fist, killing 43 people, arresting more than 3,000 and sending more than 70 to jail.

Reports from Venezuela today are sobering: Shortages of basic supplies have resulted in the rationing of staples, hours-long lines for groceries and the transformation of supermarkets into military zones. The economy is set to shrink another 7 percent in 2015, with inflation over 60 percent. A person is murdered approximately every 20 minutes. And with the decline in oil prices, the country is on the verge of default. Yet especially as the domestic situation deteriorates, the international community must demand Maduro respect the human rights of his people, including immediately releasing all political prisoners in the country.

Everything you need to know about the Venezuelan protests

Dozens have died in protests that have shaken Venezuela's government. Why are Venezuelans angry?

Fuente: The Week Staff | April 12, 2014

What are the protests about?

A broken economy, crime, shortages of basic goods, and political repression. When the populist President Hugo Chávez died last year, he left Venezuela's economy and civil society in shambles. Chávez's handpicked successor, President Nicolás Maduro, has none of Chávez's charisma, but essentially the same socialist policies and autocratic governing style, and the country has quickly deteriorated. Its murder rate of 25,000 per year is among the world's highest, with a Venezuelan killed every 20 minutes. Crime is so bad that the government stopped tracking it, claiming the data was being "politicized." Kidnappings and robberies are rampant, and the police have been corrupted by criminal gangs. Venezuela exports oil and imports nearly everything else, so when global oil prices stalled this year, it triggered a runaway annual inflation rate of 57 percent, as the bolivar currency lost much of its value. Families have been unable to buy toilet paper, flour, cooking oil, and other staples. "We are in a critical situation," says Caracas pollster Luis Vicente León, who warns that much of the country is near open revolt.

Who is leading the protests?

Protests started among students but quickly morphed into a general anti-government movement. Political opponents of Maduro, including opposition leader Leopoldo López, called for major demonstrations on Feb. 12, the bicentennial of the Battle of La Victoria, a pivotal moment in Venezuela's war of independence when students and youth joined the fight. Those marches were largely peaceful except in Caracas, where three people were killed. Maduro blamed López for the violence and ordered his arrest, and that touched off a wave of further demonstrations in cities across the country. The more harshly police cracked down on protests, the angrier people got. "The Venezuelan government has openly embraced the classic tactics of an authoritarian regime, jailing its opponents, muzzling the media, and intimidating civil society," says José Miguel Vivanco of Human Rights Watch.