Amnesty International -case against Hugo Chavez

[upi402]

Well, at least Venezuela. Or, uh actually some (possibly rogue) police, and private companies, including the elite-owned press (complicit with BushCo trying to kill Chavez). Still not much. Need some convictions and proof, but here ya go Chavez haters, a nation almost as bad as the United States of America. At least where human rights abuses and fair & open government are concerned:

http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/venezuela/document.do?id=ar&yr=2006


:popcorn:

[Mr_Geodesic]

1. Who are these guys?

A quick look at the Amnesty International site (http://www.amnesty.org) doesn't shed much light. A search there on USA only yeilds horror stories. There's no "About Us" link at AmnestyUSA.org. I smell a rat.

[Behind the Aegis]

2. .

"about us"

[Mr_Geodesic]

4. Thanks, hadn't planned to look like an idiot.

Should have looked down at the bottom instead of just the top.

Compare http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/venezuela/document.do?id=ar&yr=2006 with http://www.amnestyusa.org/countries/usa/document.do?id=ar&yr=2006

[Behind the Aegis]

8. No worries.

I have found most sites have the "about us" at the bottom of their homepage. Blogs, generally, have their "about us" on the lower left corner, and a few sites, will have it to the far right corner. Your comment had me interested because there are so many sites that are now popping up that use legitimate organizational names, but are anything but, so I don't blame your skepticism.

[LittleClarkie]

3. Why do you hate the president?

I hate that when people say it re: Bush. And it doesn't go down any better when referring to Chavez.

It makes it sound like the person who disagrees with you has no point of view except just unreasoning hate.

[upi402]

5. did you watch the video LittleClarkie?

Bush and Chavez are opposites. That says a lot in favor of Chavez to my mind.

[LittleClarkie]

14. Could have done without the "Chavez haterz" and the popcorn

not the best way to try and change hearts and minds. A tad flamebaitish

[LittleClarkie]

16. I am watching it now

I'll get back to you. Luckily it works on my computer at home.

[upi402]

6. Here; a LINK to the FILM

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=5832390545689805144

[Selatius]

7. Many of these problems predate Hugo Chavez. To blame him solely is patently unfair.

Especially the police brutality and police killings. Half the police force isn't even pro-Chavez at all. Cases of torture, extra-judicial executions, police intimidation, etc. have been a problem for years before Chavez came. To expect them to dry up overnight is to expect far too much. If you want to blame Chavez, then it is only fair you also blame previous governments before him for all the dead as a result of police violence, yet you decidedly left out all other previous administrations before Chavez. How curious.

With respect to media freedom, many of the outlets were guilty of advocating the overthrow of Chavez' government. If that happened in the US, the operators of these outlets would not only face fines but also the death penalty for advocating sedition. You had groups like Sumaté who claimed they were being persecuted for criticizing the government, but the evidence showed they illegally took foreign money during an election campaign from none other than the US' own National Endowment for Democracy. In Venezuelan law, that is illegal just as it would be illegal for American political parties to accept money from foreign governments. If he were as brutal as our ally Hosni Mubarak of Egypt, there would be no elections, and there would be no independent press at all. It would have been nationalized after Chavez regained power after the military coup failed.

While it is true that Venezuela's human rights record does not stack up well compared to European nations, it is also true that many nations that have suffered years of deprivation, corporate corruption, and theft of natural resources have historically had a difficult time protecting anybody from even death, much less protecting people from infringement on freedom of speech, the right to unionize without being murdered by a pro-corporate government or corporate enforcers, or the right to a fair trial free from rigged juries and judges with questionable "conflicts of interest."

[upi402]

9. exactly the case I've made many times before

So where does all the blind hate (without facts) against Chavez come from? I can understand it from Fox News viewers, but not from DUers.

[Peace Patriot]

10. Chavez sure is a popular guy for a "dictator." See...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=203x460259

--way ahead in all objective polls
--Bushites and rich oil elite plotting another coup attempt (read the details)
--our taxpayer dollars poured into Venezuela ILLEGALLY for political organization, "branding," false polling, and stirring up riots.

If the Bushites hate this guy that much, can he be all bad?

See: www.venezuelanalysis.com

Truth is, he's almost all good. A good president, keeping his promises to the poor, restrained use of government power, respects the Venezuelan Constitution, takes 24/7 intense criticism from the media (including corporate news monopoly active support of the '02 coup attempt) without retaliation, loves to read, reads a lot of books (Noam Chomsky!), distributes free copies of the Constitution (found all over Venezuela) and Don Quixote!, has Bush nailed ("the devil"), helps other South American countries (bailed Argentina out of onerous World Bank debt), active organizer of South American self-determination and regional cooperation, etc. No down side that I can see. Strong minded, but surrounded with strong-minded, intelligent people in his government. Mixed capitalist/socialist economy with strong element of social justice: schools, adult literacy classes, medical centers, community centers, low cost housing, and small business loans and grants for the poor, free university education for all, bottom up organization (everything done to encourage community participation in decisions), elections unanimously declared open and aboveboard by the Carter Center, the OAS and EU election monitoring groups.

WHY do the Bushites (and some Democrats, and our war profiteering corporate news monopolies) hate Chavez? Hm?

The "background" section of the AI report is interesting:

Background

"Political polarization continued to be a destabilizing factor. There were continued concerns that critics of the government were being harassed, including through the criminal justice system. Some confrontations between supporters of President Chávez and the opposition took place before August municipal elections, which were won by President Chávez’ party, Movimiento V República.

"Congressional elections in December resulted in a landslide victory for President Chávez’ party, after opposition parties refused to take part, accusing the electoral body of bias. The elections were largely regarded as fair by international observers.

"International relations with the USA remained tense as US officials continued to accuse President Chávez’ government of threatening the stability of the region. President Chávez continued to increase its co-operation with Latin American nations, including trade and energy links.

----------

Political polarization/destabilization

See the report I cited above (the DU post). Guess who is fomenting and paying for all the political polarization and destabilization?

Critics of the government are extremely vocal in Venezuela, and have the entire corporate news monopoly TV/radio/print media to rant all they want. 24/7. The corporate news monopolies even actively supported the '02 coup attempt. No retaliation. None! The ONLY prosecution of critics has been of two members of one US-funded political group for taking foreign money for an election, which is illegal in Venezuela, as it is here.

It is incredible to me that AI would give any credit to the charge of "electoral bias," which has been MANUFACTURED by a PR firm in Washington DC paid by the US State Department. See the DU post. AI ought to be ashamed!

Then they grudgingly state: "The elections were largely regarded as fair by international observers."

The Carter Center, the OAS and EU election monitoring groups, fielding hundreds of election monitors, unanimously declared Venezuelan elections to be honest and above board. The AI minimizes these facts as much as possible, and gives prominence to the COMPLETELY UNSUBSTANTIATED charge that something is wrong with Venezuelan elections.

"Some confrontations between supporters of President Chávez and the opposition...". Huh?

Relations with the Bush Junta "remain tense." So what? The goddamned Bush Junta supported the violent military coup attempt against this democratically elected President and the National Assembly!

The Bush Junta is accusing someone of "threatening instability of the region"??????!!!!!!!!!!!!!! AI is promoting the opinion of the people who slaughtered 100,000 innocent Iraqis, and plunged their country into civil war, on the issue of "instability"?

If you want to read more crap from AI on the subject of Venezuela, feel free. I read the whole thing, and wish I hadn't wasted my time. AI has done a disgraceful job on this report.

[upi402]

12. as for Dem hatred... what about Rangel?

Rangel said an outsider doesn't get to come here and say anything about "our president". We have no party if there is no party that states the obvious, that Bush was not elected -they cheated twice.

Rangel backs a known traitorous war criminal and backstabs a hero of regular citizens who love their country.

[Peace Patriot]

11. DU Monitors, I object to the subject line of this OP. It is disinformation.

The Amnesty International report does not even come close to making a "case against Hugo Chavez."

But the OP subject line gives the impression that it does. And that's all many people will see. The subject line itself acts as disinformation about Chavez and Venezuela.

upi402, please change your title. A more accurate subject line would be: "Amnesty International FAILS to make a case against Hugo Chavez."

Another alternative: "Amnesty International script on Hugo Chavez takes cues from the Bush Junta."

[upi402]

13. exactly my point

glad you see that irony too
:toast:

[stepnw1f]

15. I Agree with Your Objection

this is disinformation.

[LittleClarkie]

17. Are you saying that Amnesty International is corrupted

or influenced by Bush? Can you prove that claim against Amnesty International?