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	Venezuela is a country where the political opposition alleges that there are [[political prisoners]].		Venezuela is a country where the political opposition alleges that there are [[political prisoners]].

wikademia>Eme: from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_prisoners_in_Venezuela

2010-01-20T02:00:25Z

from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_prisoners_in_Venezuela

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{{AfDM|page=Political prisoners in Venezuela|logdate=2010 January 17|substed=yes|help=off}}


Venezuela is a country where the political opposition alleges that there are [[political prisoners]].

Human rights and legal policy groups say that there are more than 40 political prisoners in Venezuela, and that 2,000 Chávez opponents are under investigation.<ref>[http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/10/04/AR2009100402866_pf.html Politics and prison in Venezuela]</ref>

Venezuela's political opposition complains that the justice system is controlled by the government and is used as a weapon against Chavez' opponents.<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/feedarticle/8857391 Jailing of judge provokes debate in Venezuela]</ref>

Prosecutors and the justice system bring criminal charges against Chavez political opponents. Prosecutors have filed corruption charges against opposition leader Manuel Rosales, former Defense Minister Raul Baduel, opposition activist Oscar Perez and former Governors Eduardo Manuitt and Didalco Bolivar. Some, like Rosales, Perez and Bolivar have fled the country to seek political asylum abroad. In April 2009, Manuel Rosales, the mayor of Maracaibo (which is the second largest city in the country), fled to Peru.

Human rights organisations have documented the situation of political prisoners.<ref>[http://www.tellchavez.com/en/ Tell Chavez]</ref>

The government of Hugo Chávez is also targeting university students. Some have been jailed under charges of “destabilizing the government,” or “inciting civil war.” Students have launched hunger strikes over the government's treatment of political prisoners.<ref>[http://edition.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/12/08/venezuela.hunger.strike/ Venezuelan protesters end hunger strike over prisoners]</ref>

==Notable political prisoners==

===Eligio Cedeno case===
{{Main|Eligio Cedeno}}
In 2007 [[Eligio Cedeno]], then President of [[Bolivar-Banpro Financial Group]], was arrested in a crackdown by Venezuelan officials on individuals circumventing government currency rules to gain [[U.S. dollars]]. On February 8 2007, Cedeño was accused by the Venezuelan Attorney General of aiding Consorcio MicroStar with illegal dollar transactions.<ref name=iht20070210>{{cite web|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/02/10/business/LA-FIN-Venezuela-Dollar-Crackdown.php|title=Venezuelan bank president detained in crack down on illegal dollar transactions|publisher=[[International Herald Tribune]]|date=2007-02-08}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unionradio.net/Noticias/Noticia.aspx?noticiaid=196132|title=Interpol captura en Panamá a Gustavo Arraíz imputado por caso Microstar|publisher=[http://www.unionradio.com.ve/ UnionRadio.net]|date=2007-03-01}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://noticiero.venevision.net/index_not.asp?id_noticia=20070326001704&id_seccion=04|title=Fiscalía realizó nueva acusación por caso Microstar|publisher=[http://noticiero.venevision.net/index_not.asp?id_noticia=20070326001704&id_seccion=04 Venevision.com]|date=2007-03-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://deportes.eluniversal.com/2007/03/05/suc_ava_05A841609.shtml|title=Detienen en Panamá a solicitado por caso Microstar
|publisher=[http://www.eluniversal.com/index.shtml El Universal]|date=2007-03-05}}</ref> Over the next year prosecutors repeatedly failed to turn up for court dates, leading to accusations that the case was being strung out due to a lack of evidence.<ref name=reuters20080319>{{cite web|url=http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS148609+19-Mar-2008+PRN20080319|title=Cedeno Trial Postponed for Fourth Time in a Month|publisher=[[Reuters]]|date=2008-03-19}}</ref> Partly as a result, the [[United Nations]]' [[Working Group on Arbitrary Detention]] in September 2009 declared Cedeno's detention arbitrary.<ref>''[[The Guardian]]'', 17 December 2009, [http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/dec/17/venezuela-judge-chavez UN human rights panel accuses Chávez of undermining Venezuelan judges]</ref>

Held in jail pending trial for 34 months, Cedeño was paroled on 10 December 2009. By the 19th Cedeño had fled to the United States, where he was detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement until the 23rd of December 2009 when he was released on parole pending an immigration hearing.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/BT-CO-20091223-709216.html|title=UPDATE: Venezuelan Banker, Wanted Back Home, Is Paroled In US|publisher=[[WSJ]]|date=2009-12-23}}</ref>

Cedeño claims that he became a target of the Chávez government, as a consequence of his support for political
opponents of Chávez.<ref>[http://www.robertamsterdam.com/venezuela/Bolivarian%20Rule%20of%20Lawlessness.pdf Bolivarian rule of lawlesness]</ref><ref>[http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/venezuelan-president-hugo-chavez-abuses-extradition-treaties-says-lawyer-80267617.html Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Abuses Extradition Treaties, Says Lawyer]</ref>

===Judge María Lourdes Afiuni===
{{Main|Maria Lourdes Afiuni}}
Judge Maria Lourdes Afiuni was arrested after ordering the release of Eligio Cedeño on corruption charges.

In December 2009 three independent human rights experts of the [[United Nations]]' [[Working Group on Arbitrary Detention]] called for her immediate and unconditional release<ref>[http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=33273&Cr=judges&Cr1 Venezuelan leader violates independence of judiciary – UN rights experts]</ref><ref>[http://www.latimes.com/news/nation-and-world/la-fg-venezuela17-2009dec17,0,7129748.story U.N. criticizes Venezuela's President Chavez for judge's arrest]</ref>.

===Richard Blanco===

For political reasons, Richard Blanco, a male local government official from Caracas, is being detained in a prison in Caracas without any evidence of him having committed a crime. Amnesty International is asking for his liberation.<ref>[http://www.amnesty.org/en/library/info/AMR53/009/2009/en Venezuela Government official held in Venezuela]</ref><ref>[http://www.amnestyusa.org/actioncenter/actions/uaa34609.pdf Amnesty International Urgent Action Richard Blanco]</ref>

==References==
<references/>

==External links==
* [http://www.hrw.org/en/americas/venezuela Human Rights Watch / Venezuela]
* [http://www.amnesty.org/en/region/venezuela Amnesty International Venezuela page]
* [http://www.tellchavez.com/en/ "Tell Chavez", Human Rights Foundation Venezuela page]

[[Category:Human rights in Venezuela]]
[[Category:Government of Venezuela]]
[[Category:Politics in Venezuela]]

Political prisoners in Venezuela - Revision history

wikademia>Eme at 16:26, 28 November 2010

wikademia>Eme: from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Political_prisoners_in_Venezuela