(Perez Becerra, right, wearing his reporters uniform)
I find the case of Joaquin Perez Becerra truly fascinating. Seldom have we seen pro-Chavez groups so incensed over an act by their hero and the contradictions on the case are truly fascinating.
Perez Becerra has been involved with the FARC for thirty years. He is now a reporter involved with Annacol, who has been living in Sweden since 1993, where he was accepted as a refugee and later acquired the Swedish nationality. When Rodrigo Granda, the Foreign Minister of the FARC, is captured in Venezuela in 2004, Perez Becerra took over many of his roles, as was later discovered when Raul Reyes’ computers were captured.
Apparently Perez Becerra was coming to an emergency meeting of the FARC leadership and Colombian intelligence warned Venezuelan authorities of his arrival from Frankfurt. Later, the President of Colombia Juan Manuel Santos said that he had asked Chavez to capture Becerra, who was flying under an alias. using that magic (or is it Makled-magic?) leverage that Santos seems to have over Chavez lately, was captured as he arrived in Venezuela and faster than you can say Joaquin Perez Becerra, was deported to Colombia, without formal procedures. Even worse, his dual nationality made it questionable whether he could or should be readily extradited to the country where he was being persecuted, which allowed him to qualify in Sweden as a political refugee which led to his new nationality.
Remarkably, Venezuela’s Communist Party and 35 other organizations revealed that Perez Becerra had been a frequent visitor to Venezuela in the past two or three years, denouncing the illegality of Chavez’ action and even leading to street protests over the issue. (Jeez, where have they been all these years!)
Even worse, a Representative from Chavez’ political party PSUV, questions the motivation of the Communist Party, some leaders of which actually suggested that Venezuela can no longer be a safe harbor for revolutionaries. Nice going guys!
Chavez, as usual, assumed his “Yo no fui” attitude (Who, me?) saying that this was Perez Becerra’s fault, knowing that there was a “red alert” warrant for his arrest. Hugo, could it be because he was doing this routinely before you found your “best new friend” Santos? (BTW Hugo, is it true, as reported, that Perez Becerra had a Venezuelan natioanal ID card?)
By now, lots of groups are mad at Hugo. Articles not only in Aporrea, recriminating Hugo for his decision, but even Chavez’ pet project Telesur published an opinion article on the topic.
Sweden demanded an explanation and while Chavez was calling Perez Becerra as being only “accused”, the extreme left parties referred to him as a “journalist”.
Even the FARC complained to Chavez over the extradition.
The problems seems to be that Perez Becerra is associated with the Colombian communist party and is not a Bolivarian figure, thus Communist members have been instructed to complain and explain how Hugo could have been caught doing this, how he was trapped, how he had no choice.
Yadda Yadda Yadda
Hugo does whatever he pleases and right now, Juan Manuel is the man! Santos asks, Hugo complies…
But no Makled yet…go figure
The Devil's Excrement 
May 9, 2011 at 11:27 am
[…] The strange case of Joaquin Perez Becerra, the Man Chavez Personally Extradited to Colombia […]
May 7, 2011 at 12:47 pm
“Brazilian police dismantled a Serbian-led organization accused of shipping drugs to Europe” – Brasil is a Lawless contry where corruptions Rules. You can buy politicians, Judges and police.
It is not new to know that an internacional Mafia is operating within BRasil.
Farc traffics cocaine from Brasil too.
I am glad another drougdealler in in Jail
May 7, 2011 at 12:47 pm
Makled delays could continue quite a while.
http://colombiareports.com/colombia-news/news/16069-colombia-will-not-extradite-makled-without-venezuelan-human-rights-guarantee.html
May 7, 2011 at 12:43 pm
The FARC is a Criminal organization that makes money PRODUCING cocaine. It is a Cancer not just in South America but in the world. I am glad that there is another FARC member in Jail!!!
May 6, 2011 at 6:40 pm
I was shocked reading Calzone writing about FARC operations in Europe. These guys are much more than a bunch of commie gurrillas running around the jungle! Also, I just found this about the Serbian mafia in Brazil. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110506/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_brazil_serbia_gang and add to this the drug war in Mexico, which is common knowledge, a you have forces that are just as bad as Alcaida and the Teleban which operate out of another drug based area of the world. Consider that the only reason that we don’t see the same violence in Venezuela is that the government lets them do what they want and the few drug busts or narcotrafico captures are just for show and part of the cost of doing business. Add to this soup the oil and import-export crooks and one hell of a mess.
May 6, 2011 at 4:19 pm
“Reporters uniform” LOL!!!!
Good one, MO!
May 6, 2011 at 1:00 pm
Agree with pol47. Chavez can’t take a chance of this guy being alive and he can’t kill him while in Venezuela, so he has probably made arrangements with his FARC partners to do an assassination job in Colombia before he is extradited. And I bet the reason the Colombians keep postponing the date (Friday, this weekend and now latest Monday) is because the CIA, DEA or whatever has not yet finished interrogating him.
May 6, 2011 at 11:35 am
Makled will be killed after being delivered to Venezuela. Hugo and his thugs will claim he was attempting to escape from custody.
May 6, 2011 at 11:29 am
Well it’s on again. Makled will now be delivered no later than Monday according to Colombia.
It will be interesting to see how long Chavez stays quiet. He hasn’t had a harangue against Colombia for weeks. Once Makled is safely in his hands I expect there will be another crisis. Bullies don’t like to be bullied.
May 6, 2011 at 6:57 am
bobthebuilder : in replying to your either/or question about why Hugo is bending over for Santos, the answer could also be BOTH.
May 6, 2011 at 6:44 am
Glenn, while the absurdities you recount are definitely examples of “the Venezuelan government’s visceral distaste for big business,” they could also be yet more examples of Venezuelan government officials’ soliciting bribes. Did visits by inspectors increase during Holy Week, faithfully following the tradition of the “soborno santo?”
May 6, 2011 at 5:57 am
Off topic but wanted to share this for a laugh. It’s from an article in the Miami Herald regarding some new wikileaks from Venezuela:
Armed with a law with only “vague provisions,” regulators were targeting restaurants to cut down on promotions leading to “excessive consumption.”
A McDonald’s executive told the Embassy that of the chain’s 134 restaurants in Venezuela, more than half were receiving daily inspections by regulators.
Regulators “explained that in the case of Domino’s, ‘two for one Tuesdays’ discriminated against persons . . . who would like to eat pizza on the other days of the week,” the cable said.
The “comical” actions, the five-paragraph cable said, “serve as yet more examples of the Venezuelan government’s visceral distaste for big business.”
Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/05/2203117/us-and-venezuela-even-fought-over.html#ixzz1LZJG6bTf
May 6, 2011 at 3:11 am
Is that Makled has something so dirty and disgusting on Chavez personally that Chavez feels he needs to kow tow to everything Santos asks? Or is it that Santos offered up a threat combination of Makled, laptop & other investigations and said there’s enough for Colombia to ask for an ICC inditement or similar?
Either way, Chavez personally stinks out of this. The internal friction isn’t good when they are trying to cajole the opposition in to making mistakes in selecting candidates. I imagine Chavez’ll dip in to FONDEN to grease the right wheels ahead of 2012 though.
May 6, 2011 at 3:06 am
As I suspected Makled will not be sent to Venezuela today.
http://www.noticierodigital.com/2011/05/ministro-colombiano-afirma-que-makled-no-sera-extraditado-a-venezuela-este-viernes/
May 5, 2011 at 10:11 pm
Don’t know if they’ve finished with Makled yet, but I presume that the GOC and the DAS are going to squeeze every last bit of info out of him before they let him go. The GOV seems to think that he’s got a lot of important info and if they’re right, then the GOC is going to want to make sure that they have all of that info, too, so that they can leverage Chavez in the future, if need be…
May 5, 2011 at 2:52 pm
This is not a “strange case” ……. This is more like a “classic”: HRC doing whatever needs to be done in order to be more “atornillado” in the chair… no commitment to any other rationality or rule of law. I used to have some expectation with Santos……. not any more (do you remember HRC asking Obama for his “frindship”……. It looks like at least Santos accepted (beyond good and evil, as his new frind.)
May 5, 2011 at 5:43 am
I think Makled will happen, mostly because I don’t think Makled is all Santos has on chavez.
—
May 5, 2011 at 2:15 am
Chavez is desperate to have Makled in Venezuela & will do anything to make sure that happens even turning over “friends” to Santos.
The question now is – where is Makled?
& why has he not been turned over to Venezuela?
The answer to me is clear – leverage, pure leverage.
The word is that it will happen by Friday.
It would not surprise me if it doesn’t happen.
May 5, 2011 at 12:44 am
Sez who Thugo can’t be blackmailed?
Not Santos.
Who would have ever predicted this?