Venezuelan Government and its Allies Respond to Human Rights Watch Report

[EFerrari]

Venezuelan Government and its Allies Respond to Human Rights Watch Report

September 25th 2008, by James Suggett - Venezuelanalysis.com

Mérida, September 25, 2008 (venezuelanalysis.com)-- Over the past week, Venezuelan government officials, labor union leaders, and journalists criticized what they say are inaccuracies in the report on Venezuela that the NGO Human Rights Watch (HRW) published last Thursday. They also accused HRW's Americas Director José Miguel Vivanco, who was expelled from the Venezuela, of being an agent of imperialism.

According to a statement from the Venezuelan National Assembly last Friday, the HRW report "aims to promote a national and international matrix of opinion that favors a climate of instability, anxiety, and precariousness in the population in order to justify a coup d'etat."

A communiqué from the Ministry of Communication and Information (MINCI) said the HRW report is biased because it focuses on specific cases regarding labor, the media, and the judicial system while ignoring that "the majority of the guarantees in the Constitution of 1999 have been implemented, particularly in relation to the fundamental needs of citizens, such as the right to food, health, education, housing, social security, work, and political participation."

The MINCI communiqué emphasized that Venezuela's progress on all of these fronts has been recognized by various international organizations, including the United Nations, the World Bank, and the Organization of American States (OAS).

http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/3832

[Judi Lynn]

1. Very interesting getting the depth on their union claim. It really figures, doesn't it?

Anyone looking beyond the surface, looking for the real answer sees something far different from what Vivanco's report attempts to portray.

Really glad to see this article. Going to save it for future reference. Thanks.

(Wonder if Vivanco makes a point of showing up in other countries two months before their election cycles. Someone REALLY needs to do some investigation of this clown.)

[EFerrari]

2. HIs ability to travel freely and undermine democracy

will be curtailed in the future. I'm sure the swiftboating of Chavez by this person has not gone unnoticed in Latin American capitols!