Ferguson: mass arrests at protest in California despite relative calm in Missouri

In Los Angeles and Oakland, demonstrators took to the streets for a third night to show solidarity with the family of Michael Brown.

A relative calm fell on Ferguson, Missouri, on Wednesday following two nights of violent protests after a grand jury declined to bring charges against a white police officer in the shooting death of unarmed, black teen Michael Brown, but in California tensions remained high as nearly 200 protesters were arrested.

In Los Angeles and Oakland, demonstrators took to the streets for a third night since the grand jury decision in a show of solidarity with the family of the dead Missouri teen. Protesters blocked roads and even clashed with police, the LA Times reported.

During the demonstrations in Los Angeles on Wednesday, nearly 150 people were arrested in connection to the Ferguson shooting protest for failure to disperse, the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD) commander Andrew Smith told the Los Angeles Times on Thursday. This is up from 130 arrests reported earlier.

“When they will no longer comply with our requests and when it becomes dangerous, when they start running in and out of cars and put the public at risk, then we have to take action,” LAPD Chief Charlie Beck said, according to the LA Times. Police arrested about 145 people; they face misdemeanor charges and $500 bail, Beck told the paper.

The arrests were precipitated by several hours of marching through LA in the afternoon and early evening. A crowd of between 200 and 300 people marched for hours through the city streets, blocking traffic as they crossed intersections and occasionally pounding on cars. They were stopped by a phalanx of police in riot gear near the Central Library in downtown LA. Officers corralled a group of demonstrators who refused to disperse and made a mass arrest.

In northern California, demonstrations in Oakland devolved into unrest and vandalism for a third night.

Oakland police spokeswoman Johnna Watson said 33 demonstrators were arrested after a march by about 100 people through the city streets, blocking traffic. She said that later, small groups began moving through the streets, with some smashed windows and vandalized property.

By midnight, most of the protesters had dispersed save for a very small group that police were monitoring, Watson said.

Since the grand jury decision on Monday, the LAPD and California Highway Patrol have made more than 330 arrests over the past three nights of protests. Demonstrations held in other California cities on Wednesday remained peaceful.

In Chicago, three demonstrators were arrested during a protest organized by a group called the Revolutionary Communist Party, the Chicago Tribune reported. During the protest, demonstrators chanted and carried signs that read, Justice for Mike Brown. They also called for the a boycott of Black Friday, and asked the public to instead, recognize the day as “Black lives Matter” Friday.

In Ferguson, just two arrests were made on Wednesday evening, down from 44 the night before and 80 arrests in the immediate aftermath of the grand jury decision was announced, a spokesman for St Louis County police said. A small group of protesters gathered outside the Ferguson Police Department, as snow fell on the city.

Solidarity protests continued for a third night in other cities, including Atlanta, Denver and San Diego, though they remained largely calm and peaceful.

Source: http://www.theguardian.com/

Why Cuba move will help America

(CNN) -- In opposing President Barack Obama's opening to Cuba, Florida's Republican senator, Marco Rubio, explained, "This entire policy shift announced today is based on an illusion, on a lie, the lie and the illusion that more commerce and access to money and goods will translate to political freedom for the Cuban people." Rubio has correctly touched on the core issue. But theory, logic and history suggest that he's wrong in his conclusions.
I would recommend to Rubio one of the classics of conservative thought, Milton Friedman's "Capitalism and Freedom." He doesn't have to spend too much time on it. The first chapter outlines the "relation between economic freedom and political freedom."
The point Friedman makes in the book is one that America's founding fathers well understood. Drawing on the political philosopher John Locke, they believed that the freedom to buy, sell, own and trade were core elements of human freedom and individual autonomy. As they expand, liberty expands.
fareed zakaria in studio
fareed zakaria in studio
Behind the Cuba policy deal Obama discusses Cuba relations Many Cubans welcome closer ties with U.S.
This is not just theory, of course. Over the last two centuries, the countries that embraced "more commerce and access to money and goods" in Rubio's phrase -- Britain, America, then Western Europe and East Asia -- have moved toward greater prosperity, but also political freedom. If you exclude oil-rich countries, where money is not earned but dug from the ground, almost every country that has used free markets and free trade to grow is also a democracy.
Yes there are a few exceptions: Singapore and China (though the latter is still not quite a developed economy.) But on the whole, there has been a remarkably strong connection between economic freedom and political freedom.
In Latin America itself, the line has been clear. Augusto Pinochet's regime opened up its economy in the 1970s. Chile began to grow, but that growth then produced a stronger civil society that over time clamored for the end of the Pinochet dictatorship. (The same pattern could be seen in Taiwan, South Korea, Spain and Portugal.) In Latin America today, democracy and markets have acted to reinforce each other, transforming the continent, which 30 years ago was almost entirely ruled by dictatorships to one that is today almost entirely ruled by democracies.
Cuba is an outlier, one of the last regimes in Latin America that has embraced neither markets nor ballots. The Obama administration is acting on the theory that more commerce, capitalism, contact, travel and trade will empower the people of Cuba and thus give them a greater voice in their political future. And so the first point to make is that it will help Cubans economically -- it will raise their incomes, their standard of living, and boost access to technology. These are all good things in and of themselves.

But easing the embargo will also help Americans, who will benefit from being able to trade with a neighbor. This is the reason that conservatives have long understood that free trade is not a gift bestowed on someone. It helps both countries and in particular, helps the United States.
That's why the Wall Street Journal's editorial page -- bastion of conservative thought -- has been an advocate on lifting the trade embargo against Cuba, which is a far larger step than Obama's normalization.
So, did it support Obama's opening? Of course not. It turns out that he has done it in the wrong way. It is difficult not to think that the problem here is not the policy, but who the president is. Had George W. Bush announced this initiative, I have a feeling that the Wall Street Journal would be hailing it -- and Rubio would be quoting Milton Friedman to us all.

Source: http://edition.cnn.com

Pakistani military kills over 60 militants after school massacre

PAKISTANI jets and ground forces have killed 67 militants in a north-western tribal region near the Afghan border, officials say, days after Taliban fighters killed 148 people most of them children in a school massacre.

Meanwhile, a Pakistani prosecutor said the government will try to cancel the bail granted to the main suspect in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks a decision that outraged neighbouring India and called into question Pakistan’s commitment to fighting militancy.
The violence at a school in Pakistan’s northwest earlier this week stunned the country and brought cries for retribution. In the wake of the mass killing the military has struck targets in the Khyber tribal region and approved the death penalty for six convicted terrorists.

PAKISTAN MOURNS AFTER SCHOOL MASSACRE

The military said its ground forces late on Thursday killed 10 militants while jets killed another 17, including an Uzbek commander. Another 32 alleged terrorists were killed by security forces in an ambush in Tirah valley in Khyber on Friday as they headed toward the Afghan border, the military said.

Khyber agency is one of two main areas in the northwest where the military has been trying to root out militants in recent months. Khyber borders Peshawar, where the school massacre happened, and militants have traditionally attacked the city before fleeing into the tribal region where police can’t chase them.

The other area is North Waziristan, where the military launched a massive operation in June.

In the southern province of Baluchistan, Pakistani security forces killed a senior Pakistani Taliban leader along with seven of his associates in three separate pre-dawn raids, said a tribal police officer, Ali Ahmed.

Army chief Gen. Raheel Sharif late on Thursday signed death warrants of six “hard core terrorists” convicted and sentenced to death by military courts, the army said.

It was unclear when the military planned to hang the six men, but authorities generally move quickly once death warrants are signed. Such executions are usually carried out at prisons under the supervision of army officers and then the bodies are handed over to relatives for burial.

There was no information on the men or the crimes for which they were convicted.

The news comes after Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif on Wednesday announced that he would lift a moratorium on executions in terrorism-related cases. The government has not yet carried out any executions.

The lifting of the moratorium was aimed at demonstrating the government’s resolve. But the decision by an anti-terrorism court Thursday to grant bail to the main suspect in the Mumbai attack, Zaki-ur-Rahman Lakhvi, called into question that commitment.

Lakhvi is one of seven people on trial in Pakistan for the assault, but the trial has produced no results so far. It has been closed to the media.

India reacted with outrage to news of Lakhvi’s pending release.

Special public prosecutor Abu Zar Peerzada said he would appeal to the High Court to cancel the bail and said Lakhvi had not yet been released.

Source: http://www.news.com.au/

Leading Venezuelan opposition figure charged over alleged plot to kill president

Maria Corina Machado told she will face criminal charges for her alleged involvement in a supposed plot to kill Nicolas Maduro.

A leading figure in the Venezuelan opposition has been told she will face criminal charges for alleged involvement in a purported plot to kill President Nicolas Maduro, a move she called an attempt to silence her and other critics of Venezuela’s government.

Maria Corina Machado, a former member of the National Assembly, left a private meeting with prosecutors at the Ministry of Justice after authorities informed her that she would be charged with conspiracy. The charge carries a maximum of 16 years in prison.

Her case will now be assigned to a judge so Machado can be formally charged.

“All the accusations and the supposed evidence are false,” she told reporters outside the ministry.

Machado has repeatedly said she has no knowledge of any plot against Maduro and portrays the allegations as political persecution.

“I have not committed any crime,” she said before the meeting with prosecutors. “This is the price I have to pay for speaking the truth in Venezuela.”

The attorney general’s office opened its investigation in March after officials claimed a plot was being formed against Maduro and others in the government involving Machado and several other opposition figures. Authorities have not provided any evidence publicly beyond some allegedly incriminating emails. The government has prohibited Machado from leaving the country since June.

Tomas Arias, one of her lead attorneys, said the defense had asked for more specific proof of any link between Machado and what he called the “supposed plot” against the president. Authorities have provided nothing in response, he said.

Prosecutors have issued arrest orders for several other opposition figures for their alleged roles in the supposed plot, several of whom have left Venezuela.

Since narrowly winning election last year to succeed his mentor, the late President Hugo Chavez, Maduro has claimed there have been five assassination attempts against him and more than a dozen acts of sabotage and conspiracy.

The investigation of Machado comes as oil-dependent Venezuela comes under increasing financial strain because of plunging world oil prices, forcing the government to cut spending amid widespread shortages and the world’s highest inflation.

Source: Associated Press in Caracas
theguardian.com, Wednesday 3 December 2014 22.50 GMT

Venezuela's food shortage by the end of February at 47.7%

State-owned food corporation and oil company Mercal and Pdvsa face shortage at 50%, research firm Datanálisis informed

EL UNIVERSAL

Monday March 17, 2014  10:47 AM

General food shortage in Venezuela has consistently exacerbated for 16 months. Shortage in regulated goods averaged 37.2% in 2013, up 21.3 percentage points with respect to 2012 figures.

In January-February 2014, shortage in regulated products hit 47.7%, rising 31.8 points as against 2012, and 10.5 points compared to 2013, according to Mystery Shopping, a research conducted by Datanálisis in seven distribution routes.

In 2011-2012, none of the categories went through more than 50% of shortage, whereas this year 33% of the goods face more than 70% of shortage.

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Prices up in gov't food network to prevent smuggling

Venezuelan Minister of Food Félix Osorio thinks that keeping prices without any variation is "vulgar"

ANGIE CONTRERAS C. |  EL UNIVERSAL

Thursday March 20, 2014  09:52 AM

Prices of the foodstuffs sold through Mercal, a network of food vendors under the aegis of the Venezuelan government, have risen "step by step" in the last year, with no formal announcement from the Executive Office.

As alleged by Food Minister Félix Osorio, rising prices has been a measure to curb outgoing smuggling of subsidized commodities.

The last "formal" hike of prices in the foodstuffs traded through Mercal network occurred in 2009.

In the minister opinion, keeping prices without any variation is "vulgar."

Osorio downplayed the claims of production problems in Venezuela and attributed imports to a larger demand.

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Venezuela's Sicad 2 insufficient to meet public sector demand

JP Morgan does not rule out an adjustment in the forex rate of the National Center for Foreign Trade from VEB 6.30 to VEB 8.40 per US dollar

MAYELA ARMAS H. |  EL UNIVERSAL

Thursday March 20, 2014  10:02 AM

The Venezuelan Government started the New Year with a deficit in its fiscal accounts, which has led to a revision to the foreign exchange policy, including the incorporation of the Second Ancillary Foreign Currency System (Sicad 2), whose forex rate is set to fluctuate. Nonetheless, the effects of the new architecture would not satisfy demand if authorities fail to cut down on public spending.

Although authorities have not explained how much foreign currency supply would rise with the new supplementary mechanism, income would not be enough to meet the needs of public institutions.

The director of research economic firm Ecoanalítica, Asdrúbal Oliveros, has outlined that "although income deriving from Sicad 2 operations could be useful, a policy aimed at reducing public expenditure and a reform of the country monetary policy are needed."

In his view, Oliveros asserts that the impact of devaluation on the supplementary forex system is subject to other actions. Unless measures are adopted, the system would fail.

Meanwhile, JP Morgan deems Sicad 2 could gradually flow. The firm estimates oil giant Pdvsa would allocate USD 5-10 billion out of its oil revenues. Moreover, JP Morgan projects bonds stock held by public institutions would account for USD 5.8 billion.

In a report the firm also expresses the need for further policies. In this context, it does not rule out an adjustment in the forex rate of the National Center for Foreign Trade, from VEB 6.30 to VEB 8.40 per US dollar.

Venezuelan association rules out suspension of flights by other airlines

Deputy reaffirms Venezuelan Government's will to advance in foreign currency matters

EL UNIVERSAL

Thursday March 20, 2014  11:36 AM

In an interview with radio station Unión Radio, the executive president of the Venezuelan Association of Airlines (ALAV), Humberto Figuera, ruled out that the suspension of Air Canada flights from and to Venezuela could lead to further suspensions by other airlines operating in the country.

Meanwhile, referring to the debt to international airlines, Congressman Claudio Farías (ruling PSUV) said during a session of the Venezuelan National Assembly that the Executive Office is willing to advance in foreign currency matters.

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Thirty-one slain in connection with Venezuelan demonstrations

The attorney general explained that 318 out of 461 people injured were civilians, whereas the remaining 143 casualties included police agents, military officers and Government officials

EL UNIVERSAL

Thursday March 20, 2014  12:03 PM

Venezuela's Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz has informed that since February 12, 31 people have been killed, 461 injured and 1,854 detained in events related to demonstrations in Venezuela.

In an official radio broadcast, Ortega outlined that 25 out of the 31 people killed were civilians whereas the other six included police agents, military officers and public prosecutors.

The attorney general added that 318 out of the 461 people injured were civilians. The remaining 143 casualties included police agents, military officers and Government officials, AVN reported.

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Venezuelan gov't exerts arbitrary control over Internet

At least 500 websites have been blocked in the country

DANIEL GONZÁLEZ CAPPA |  EL UNIVERSAL

Thursday March 20, 2014  01:19 PM

Blocks and attacks against Internet in Venezuela have been on the rise. As many as 500 websites are estimated to have been blocked.

Ricardo Holmquist, a representative for the Venezuelan Internet Society (ISOC), believes the number of websites arbitrarily blocked could be higher than 500 and particularly in connection with information about the unofficial forex rate, the health state of late President Hugo Chávez, and critiques against the Government.

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Minister of Justice: Mayors brought to court to protect majority's rights

The judiciary "does not act to ensure the right of a small group intending, with the excuse of the right to protest, mar Venezuelans' lives and hit the country governance"

EL UNIVERSAL

Thursday March 20, 2014  02:22 PM

"Justice bodies ruled in favor of the great majorities and act to protect their rights." The statement Venezuelan Minister of the Interior and Justice Miguel Rodríguez Torres came after the detention of opposition Mayors Daniel Ceballos and Enzo Scarano.

"Venezuelans need to understand that State institutions, not the Government in this case, act to protect the right of majorities instead of those of a small group attempting to use the right to protest as a pretext to cloud the lives of Venezuelans, and hit governance in the country," Torres told the press.

Further on, the minister stated violent spots remained in San Cristóbal, the capital city of Táchira state, and San Diego municipality in Valencia, the capital city of Carabobo state.

Sicad 2 starts up on Monday, March 24

According to Venezuelan Vice-President for Economic Affairs Rafael Ramírez, the scheme is being tested with the help of financial brokers

EL UNIVERSAL

Thursday March 20, 2014  03:11 PM

The second Ancillary Foreign Currency Administration System (Sicad 2) will start operations on Monday, March 24, as reported by Venezuelan Vice-President for Economic Affairs Rafael Ramírez.

"Sicad 2 will start up on Monday, March 24, upon completion of all the testing of the system together with operators," the senior officer twitted.

Minutes later, he said on state-run TV channel VTV that there will not be middlemen in the scheme and that demand "would be satisfied with supply." He clarified that there will not be ceiling for the foreign currency coming in the system and that there is enough to meet the stock market. Ramírez commented that public banks and the oil sector have been authorized to place financial instruments in that market.

Ramírez added that he had met with the operators authorized to start operations "perfectly" that day. He promised a meeting on Friday with brokerage firms.

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Opposition deputy's defense attorney: No offense has been committed

If Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz determines probable cause, Deputy María Corina Machado will have to appear at the Supreme Tribunal of Justice

EL UNIVERSAL

Thursday March 20, 2014  04:18 PM

Venezuela's Parliament has requested the Attorney General Office to ascertain whether probable cause exists for the impeachment of opposition Deputy María Corina Machado. The dissenter is charged with offenses related to her   involvement in anti-government protests, which have claimed a death toll of 31 since February 12.

Parliament's Speaker Diosdado Cabello prepared the action whereby Machado is accused of treason, terrorist acts, instigation to commit crimes; homicide, and conspiracy.

If Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz determines probable cause, Machado will have to appear at the Supreme Tribunal of Justice.

"There are no offenses; charges are brought without any grounds whatsoever; liability is found without holding a trial or exercising any (right to) defense; imprisonment takes places for no reason, isolating detainees and subjecting them to punishment or any sort of intimidation; and on top of all this tragic scenario, appeals for dialogue and peace are made," defense Attorney Alberto Arteaga Sánchez contested.

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The United States expresses concern about arrest of mayors in Venezuela

The US Department of State called for the end of violence

EL UNIVERSAL

Thursday March 20, 2014  04:40 PM

Through its spokesperson, Jen Psaki, the US Department of State expressed on Thursday its concerns about the detention of two opposition mayors in Venezuela, and called on authorities for the release of people unfairly held in custody, AFP reported.

The US also called for the end of restrictions to the freedom of press and made an appeal for an inclusive dialogue with all Venezuelans from the political spectrum.

The spokesperson remarked that Venezuela should stop violence against its own citizens and opposition leaders.

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Capriles: The gov't fears depolarization able to unite Venezuelans

The opposition leader seized the opportunity to ask dissenters to "control their feelings" in light of citizens' reactions to the latest events in Venezuela

EL UNIVERSAL

Thursday March 20, 2014  05:38 PM

Venezuelan opposition Governor Henrique Capriles described the Government's latest moves as mere fascism and said mobilization of people is the way to address it.  

Capriles remarked that the Government showed on Wednesday clear signs of its lack of commitment to dialogue or peace. He stressed that authorities are just propelling the right scenarios to continue with the country's current conflict. "What is behind this? It must be something dark. A Government which has been talking about a coup for one month has surely considered a self-coup," said Capriles during the demonstration held in Caracas on Thursday morning.

The opposition leader seized the opportunity to ask dissenters to "control their feelings" in light of citizens' reactions to the latest events in Venezuela. "This is not the time to go nuts! The Government seeks (protests) end in violence. They fear depolarization able to unite Venezuelans".

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National Electoral Council works on election of new San Diego mayor

Sandra Oblitas, a director of the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE), gave the news

VÍCTOR LA CRUZ |  EL UNIVERSAL

Thursday March 20, 2014  01:40 PM

Sandra Oblitas, a director of the Venezuelan National Electoral Council (CNE), disclosed that having received a notice issued by the Supreme Tribunal of Justice (TSJ) on absolute absence of Enzo Scarano, the mayor of San Diego municipality in Valencia, the capital city of Carabobo state, "the date for a new election" will be provided soon.

Earlier, on Thursday, the San Diego Municipal Council appointed Pablo Antonio Domínguez as deputy mayor. On Wednesday evening, the TSJ sentenced Scarano to imprisonment for 10 months and 15 days and also ordered his removal for alleged contempt of court.

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Parlatino upholds by unanimity visit of Unasur's committee to Venezuela

The group's Vice-President Roy Daza pointed out that Unasur's resolution supports three pillars: "It strongly condemns violence in Venezuela," supports "democracy and Venezuela's democratic institutions," and finally approves the creation a "a Foreign Ministers Committee to accompany, support, and advise on the building of a constructive and wide political dialogue"

EL UNIVERSAL

Tuesday March 18, 2014  04:15 PM

The Venezuelan Parliamentary Group for the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino) unanimously endorsed a resolution from the Union of South American States (Unasur) during its Special Meeting of Foreign Ministers. The resolution provides for the establishment of a Foreign Ministers Committee to visit Venezuela in order to assess and collaborate along with national political forces in the peace talks expected to end violent actions in Venezuela.

The group's Vice-President Roy Daza pointed out that Unasur's resolution supports three pillars: "It strongly condemns  violence in Venezuela," supports "democracy and Venezuela's democratic institutions," and finally approves the creation a "a Foreign Ministers Committee to accompany, support, and advise in the building of a constructive and wide political dialogue, oriented to restore peaceful coexistence."

Venezuelan dissenter: Protests will remain as long as there is crisis

"Nicolás is afraid of debate, as he knows that he lacks allegations on human rights abuses"

EL UNIVERSAL

Tuesday March 18, 2014  12:50 PM

On Tuesday, during an interview with a radio station, Venezuelan leader and Miranda state governor Henrique Capriles Radonski said that street protests will remain in Venezuela as long as there is social crisis, including insecurity, scarcity, inflation, and human rights abuses.

Capriles Radonski reiterated that if the Venezuelan government does not rectify with regard to social unrest, people will skip over it.

He upheld his readiness to hold a debate with Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in order to actually deal with the plight undergone by Venezuelans.

Maduro says the US is obviously seeking to overthrow him

"Every message sent by the US Government is intended to fuel the flame of violence that is put off every day" thanks to the work of the police and the military.

EL UNIVERSAL

Friday March 14, 2014  11:24 PM

President Nicolás Maduro said on Friday it is "obvious" that the US government seeks to "overthrow" his government through the protests hitting Venezuela since February.

"It is clear: the United States has openly taken over the leadership of the overthrow of the Government of Venezuela. Consequently, the US Government is currently the hostage to the lobby of Republicans and the right-wing in Miami," said Maduro in a press conference with local and foreign press.

"Take it easy... You are pushing President (Barack) Obama to the edge of a cliff," because you are failing to promote political destabilization in Venezuela, Maduro told the lobbyists.

Further, Maduro acknowledged "abuses" and "excesses" have been perpetrated, adding that 21 officers have been arrested and are facing trial.

He added that "only" 558 students remain in jail, out of 1,529 detainees. Maduro explained that 150 people will remain in custody because they were arrested while carrying firearms.

"Every message sent by the US Government is intended to fuel the flame of violence that is put off every day" thanks to the work of the police and the military," said Maduro, DPA reported.

The soldiers attacked "like a pack of hunting hounds"

Despite repression, "Venezuela is worth the sacrifice," Maurizio Ottaviani says.

ALICIA DE LA ROSA |  EL UNIVERSAL

Saturday March 15, 2014  12:00 AM

"The soldiers were inflamed by hate and bloodlust. They were totally out of control. It's like when animals are unleashed; like when a pack of hunting hounds is set on a prey, chasing it until they catch it, then savaging it until it is shot. They attacked like vicious dogs." Santa María University student Maurizio Ottaviani (20) thus describes his terrible ordeal at the hands of the Bolivarian National Guard (GNB).

Ottaviani was one of the 41 people caught in an ambush set up by National Guard soldiers driving motorcycles, in the Altamira neighborhood of Caracas -an anti-government stronghold- on the evening of 28 February. Excessive use of force by the security forces against demonstrators was denounced by Venezuelan human rights organizations, such as the Citizens Equity and Rights Foundation (Fundeci), the Due Process Foundation (Fundepro), the Human Rights Center at Andrés Bello Catholic University (CDH-UCAB), the Venezuelan Criminal Forum association of human rights lawyers, the human rights committees of the Venezuelan opposition umbrella group Unified Democratic Panel (MUD) and of Santa María University.

"I was peacefully demonstrating near the Torre Británica building in Altamira. Just as I turned towards the highway, a group of National Guard soldiers on motorcycles rumbled towards me. I tried to flee, but on seeing them circling me, I froze making no attempt to resist. Four guardsmen came at me; they robbed me of my backpack, and started beating me up, trying to force me to the ground. When they knocked me down, my first instinct was to curl up in the fetal position in an attempt to protect myself. They brutally kicked me on the stomach and on the back. I reached out to block the blows and left my face unprotected. One of them stamped his boot heel onto the right side of my face," says Ottaviani, an international relations student. After being held for 37 hours at a courthouse, he was taken to a clinic where he was diagnosed with conjunctival hemorrhage damaging 80% of his right eye.

On seeing Ottaviani's mangled face, the guards stopped beating him and tied him up with plastic handcuffs. They loaded him onto a motorcycle and drove him off to a GNB bus parked on the Altamira highway interchange, where they held him for hours with other detained protesters. "I was scared; I thought they were going to kill me. The soldiers sought to inflict terror upon us during the hours we spent on the bus, threatening us with asphyxia by tear gas," Ottaviani recalls. But his resolve remains intact.  "I want to take to the streets again, but a judge took away my right of assembly. I'll never give up the fight. Venezuela is worth the sacrifice," he says.

Acts of torture and cruel treatment

A report released by the Human Rights Center at Andrés Bello Catholic University (CDH-UCAB) gives an account of 400 cases of detained protesters, as of 7 March, in the Greater Caracas area alone. The report identifies specific patterns of abuse by members of State security forces in locations like Universidad avenue (February 12), San Antonio de Los Altos (February 19), Los Castores (February 25), and Altamira square (February 28).

"Most detained protesters were held incommunicado; authorities did not record statements attesting to the mental and physical condition of the detainees; protesters report having been robbed of cash and cell phones. Most denounce having been subjected to physical abuse (beatings, pellet shooting) and psychological abuse (death or rape threats)," the report notes.

The report points out that the facilities used as detention centers "are completely inadequate," highlighting the case of the Command of the Bolivarian National Guard in La Dolorita (northeast of Caracas) where 18 youth were held for two days in one room, without a bathroom, ventilation, sleeping mats or food."

From those arrested at Urdaneta avenue, (downtown Caracas) 16 denounce having been subjected to acts of torture and cruel treatment while held at the Scientific, Criminal and Forensic Investigation Agency (Cicpc) headquarters in Parque Carabobo. "They were forced to remain on their knees keeping their trunk upright for hours. They were beaten up and doused with gasoline."

They disfigured my son's face

Luis Gutiérrez, a student at Central University of Venezuela, was taking part in a demonstration in San Antonio de Los Altos (Greater Caracas) on February 19 when he was arrested.

According to his mother, Katiuska Pietro, law enforcement officers beat him up so badly "causing multiple broken bones to his face, leaving it completely disfigured. He had to undergo reconstructive surgery."
The court was moved to the hospital in Los Teques (Greater Caracas) for Gutiérrez's hearing. He was released pending trial and must appear before court every 45 days, as reported by the Human Rights Center at Andrés Bello Catholic University (CDH-UCAB).

Ill-treated and robbed

Human rights lawyers, Elenis Rodríguez, the director of Fundeci, and Jackeline Sandoval, the president of Fundepro, along with a group of aggrieved youth, appeared before the Attorney General's Office to complain that the youth were not only beaten and vexed, but also robbed by security forces.

Ana Karina Triana (20), a marketing student, is one of such complainants. She was arrested by the GNB on Altamira square, as she was walking home with a friend. "I heard people shouting for us to run away, and I tried to, but oil on the pavement made it slippery. A guardsman grabbed me by the hair, loaded me onto a motorcycle and drove me off to the Altamira highway interchange. On arriving there, I was bludgeoned on the head with a tear gas grenade launcher. I was stunned," she says.

She was robbed of her backpack. As she was pushed into the BNG bus she saw two girls (Shakira Casal and Lisbel Sanguino) in handcuffs, surrounded by a dozen soldiers. "The girls were screaming because some of the military were spanking and groping them. I remained calm, yet the guardsmen yelled threats at me: ‘We're going to rape you, dirty bitch,' they kept saying."

Daniel Alejandro Rodríguez (20), a student at Nueva Esparta University, and Juan Pablo De Haro (20), a store worker, were beaten up by the GNB in Altamira on February 28.

Rodríguez was taken to a hospital "after a guardsman bludgeoned him on the head with a rifle." He was robbed of his cell phones. "The national guards who beat me up left bruises all over my body," De Haro says. He too was robbed of his backpack.

Shot in the genitals

Moisés David Guánchez (19) was sent home by his boss at a restaurant in La Cascada shopping mall (Greater Caracas) where he works, in view of the unrest of March 5. "When he left the mall, national guardsmen came at him. They fired a load of pellets at him. He was wounded in the groin, in the right buttock, and in one arm," says María Esperanza Hermida, a coordinator at Caracas-based human rights organization Provea.
Mónica Díaz, Guánchez's mother, says her bleeding son "was lifted onto a motorcycle, but the local residents started yelling at the GNB, calling for the young man to be taken to the hospital in a car. He was rushed to Victorino Santaella hospital where he underwent surgery," Hermida said.

Guánchez's is the first case in which the Office of the Ombudswoman requested an investigation into the actions of the national guard. The court acquitted and discharged him.

Bachelet reaffirms support to Maduro; urges respect for human rights

"We hope that democracy turns out to be an essential value"

EL UNIVERSAL

Monday March 17, 2014  11:58 AM

Chilean President Michelle Bachelet has reaffirmed that nobody, included individuals or countries, is entitled to overthrown a legitimate elected president through violence. Bachelet's comment came with respect to a wave of protests staged in Venezuela against President Nicolás Maduro in recent weeks.

Amidst reports of torture and violation of dissenters' human rights, Bachelet told Reuters, "We hope at all times for the respect of human rights and the Constitution, and hope that democracy turns out to be an essential value."

Bachelet noted that during the meeting of the Union of South American Nations (Unasur) held on Wednesday in Santiago de Chile, foreign ministers weighed alternatives to help Venezuela overcome the crisis. "This is why a joint declaration was produced and a foreign ministers committee will be set up to travel to Venezuela before April 1," Efe reported.