The Devil's Excrement

From today’s Miami Herald (Thanks M.), concerns similar to hat I expressed earlier today

Venezuela edges closer to political precipice

Under President Hugo Chávez, the rule of law in Venezuela has been deteriorating steadily — some would say precipitously — for a long time. Two recent events have made matters much worse. The Chávez-controlled Congress last week approved a ”media reform” bill that imposes stiff censorship on one of the few remaining independent institutions in the country. More urgently, the assassination of prosecutor Danilo Anderson 10 days ago has set off a series of arrests and at least two police killings of ”suspects” under circumstances that are far from clear.

Political killing

Mr. Anderson was said to be investigating some 400 opposition leaders and businessmen who supported a 2002 coup that briefly ousted President Chávez from power. There is ample reason to believe his killing was politically motivated. His killers should be arrested and brought to justice as quickly as possible. But surely it is self-evident that the investigation must also be transparent and free of self-serving political manipulation — which so far hasn’t been the case.

In one of the government’s first official statements, Information Minister Andrés Izarra blamed the killing on Venezuelan ”terrorists” training in South Florida with anti-Castro Cuban exiles, but offered no evidence for this charge. The government thus placed the murder in a self-serving political framework.

In the last few days, moreover, suspects have been killed in shootouts with the police, arrests have been made and supposed evidence — weapons and explosives — has been seized even though there’s no sign that arrest or search warrants were issued.

Mr. Chávez’s police may be on the right track, but it’s necessary to show that the Anderson assassination isn’t being used to justify officially sanctioned violence. Unless the case is resolved in a timely and credible manner, it could produce deeper divisions and more political tumult.

Media gag

It is precisely because these are such perilous times in Venezuela that the nation needs a free and independent news media to report on events.

Unfortunately, the Chávez-inspired ”gag law” guarantees freedom of expression but does just the opposite.

Among other provisions, broadcasters would be liable for opinions expressed on their programs. They could be fined for ”messages that justify violence or aggression,” inciting lawless activity, impeding law enforcement or disrupting ”public order.” Critics complain that the law is so vague in parts that anything could be construed as a crime.

Under President Chávez, Venezuela has been on the brink of chaos for years. Given his recent victory in a referendum, it’s up to him to ensure that the latest developments do not push the country over the precipice.

Patricia Poleo is a Venezuelan investigative reporter. She has been wrong, but she has also been right a lot, she has very good sources. There is a long interview with her in today’s El Nacional (by subscription only) on the Anderson murder. She has always had good police sources and the Government is blaming the police.

She also has shown to have good connections to this case. Three years ago, she won the Principe de Asturias prize in Spain for her investigative reporting on the Montesinos case. For months she insisted Montesinos, Fujimori’s former Head of Intelligence, was in Venezuela. She even had pictures of the plastic surgery he had here. The Government went as far as holding a press conference to show that the person who had the surgery was a different one. Time proved Poleo right. Montesinos was indeed in Caracas; the Government knew about it and guess who was protecting him? The Guevara brothers, the same ones that are being blamed for Anderson’s death. Here are the highlights of what she said in her interview today.

–Anderson was being pressured. He almost had a fight with a Supreme Court Justice. He threatened Minister Chacon saying that if anyone came and denounced the civilian deaths in the Government’s TV station in the 1992 coup, he would prosecute. He also had a case for corruption involving Diosdado Cabello who did not show up at the funeral.

-Chavez himself publicly said that he talked to Anderson regularly (What a conflict of interest!). Poleo claims in one of those meetings Chavez asked him to “clean up” the April 11^th. case by prosecuting those that went to the presidential Palace as people still had the impression that the Government killed opposition protesters. Anderson also suggested that he would have to touch Lucas Rincon in that case. He had said his responsibility was to save Chavez only.

-The Attorney general had told Anderson he had to go to which Anderson said he would do it under ‘economically favorable conditions”. Anderson’s sister said that in this case there was “a lot of money involved”, apparently referring to the blackmail of those that went to the Presidential palace on April 12^th. 2002. Anderson himself may not have been involved in this according to Poleo.

-Jesse Chacon is leading the investigation in the Anderson case and the intelligence and investigative police are being bypassed. There was a reward of Bs. 250 million being offered for anyone that captured Gonzalez Gonzalez or Felipe Rodríguez. Dead or alive. Lopez Castillo was confused with them. An informant told her that he heard over the radio cops saying they had seen Gonzalez Gonzalez and were following him.

-She questions that if they suspected Lopez Castillo why follow him? Why not go directly to his house? Se says the cop killed when Lopez Castillo was shot was killed by his partner’s bullet and ballistic tests confirm it. She also says Lopez Castillo’s body was held in custody to manipulate the evidence in the body.

Patricia Poleo is a Venezuelan investigative reporter. She has been wrong, but she has also been right a lot, she has very good sources. There is a long interview with her in today’s El Nacional (by subscription only) on the Anderson murder. She has always had good police sources and the Government is blaming the police.

She also has shown to have good connections to this case. Three years ago, she won the Principe de Asturias prize in Spain for her investigative reporting on the Montesinos case. For months she insisted Montesinos, Fujimori’s former Head of Intelligence, was in Venezuela. She even had pictures of the plastic surgery he had here. The Government went as far as holding a press conference to show that the person who had the surgery was a different one. Time proved Poleo right. Montesinos was indeed in Caracas; the Government knew about it and guess who was protecting him? The Guevara brothers, the same ones that are being blamed for Anderson’s death. Here are the highlights of what she said in her interview today.

–Anderson was being pressured. He almost had a fight with a Supreme Court Justice. He threatened Minister Chacon saying that if anyone came and denounced the civilian deaths in the Government’s TV station in the 1992 coup, he would prosecute. He also had a case for corruption involving Diosdado Cabello who did not show up at the funeral.

-Chavez himself publicly said that he talked to Anderson regularly (What a conflict of interest!). Poleo claims in one of those meetings Chavez asked him to “clean up” the April 11^th. case by prosecuting those that went to the presidential Palace as people still had the impression that the Government killed opposition protesters. Anderson also suggested that he would have to touch Lucas Rincon in that case. He had said his responsibility was to save Chavez only.

-The Attorney general had told Anderson he had to go to which Anderson said he would do it under ‘economically favorable conditions”. Anderson’s sister said that in this case there was “a lot of money involved”, apparently referring to the blackmail of those that went to the Presidential palace on April 12^th. 2002. Anderson himself may not have been involved in this according to Poleo.

-Jesse Chacon is leading the investigation in the Anderson case and the intelligence and investigative police are being bypassed. There was a reward of Bs. 250 million being offered for anyone that captured Gonzalez Gonzalez or Felipe Rodríguez. Dead or alive. Lopez Castillo was confused with them. An informant told her that he heard over the radio cops saying they had seen Gonzalez Gonzalez and were following him.

-She questions that if they suspected Lopez Castillo why follow him? Why not go directly to his house? Se says the cop killed when Lopez Castillo was shot was killed by his partner’s bullet and ballistic tests confirm it. She also says Lopez Castillo’s body was held in custody to manipulate the evidence in the body.

Patricia Poleo is a Venezuelan investigative reporter. She has been wrong, but she has also been right a lot, she has very good sources. There is a long interview with her in today’s El Nacional (by subscription only) on the Anderson murder. She has always had good police sources and the Government is blaming the police.

She also has shown to have good connections to this case. Three years ago, she won the Principe de Asturias prize in Spain for her investigative reporting on the Montesinos case. For months she insisted Montesinos, Fujimori’s former Head of Intelligence, was in Venezuela. She even had pictures of the plastic surgery he had here. The Government went as far as holding a press conference to show that the person who had the surgery was a different one. Time proved Poleo right. Montesinos was indeed in Caracas; the Government knew about it and guess who was protecting him? The Guevara brothers, the same ones that are being blamed for Anderson’s death. Here are the highlights of what she said in her interview today.

–Anderson was being pressured. He almost had a fight with a Supreme Court Justice. He threatened Minister Chacon saying that if anyone came and denounced the civilian deaths in the Government’s TV station in the 1992 coup, he would prosecute. He also had a case for corruption involving Diosdado Cabello who did not show up at the funeral.

-Chavez himself publicly said that he talked to Anderson regularly (What a conflict of interest!). Poleo claims in one of those meetings Chavez asked him to “clean up” the April 11^th. case by prosecuting those that went to the presidential Palace as people still had the impression that the Government killed opposition protesters. Anderson also suggested that he would have to touch Lucas Rincon in that case. He had said his responsibility was to save Chavez only.

-The Attorney general had told Anderson he had to go to which Anderson said he would do it under ‘economically favorable conditions”. Anderson’s sister said that in this case there was “a lot of money involved”, apparently referring to the blackmail of those that went to the Presidential palace on April 12^th. 2002. Anderson himself may not have been involved in this according to Poleo.

-Jesse Chacon is leading the investigation in the Anderson case and the intelligence and investigative police are being bypassed. There was a reward of Bs. 250 million being offered for anyone that captured Gonzalez Gonzalez or Felipe Rodríguez. Dead or alive. Lopez Castillo was confused with them. An informant told her that he heard over the radio cops saying they had seen Gonzalez Gonzalez and were following him.

-She questions that if they suspected Lopez Castillo why follow him? Why not go directly to his house? Se says the cop killed when Lopez Castillo was shot was killed by his partner’s bullet and ballistic tests confirm it. She also says Lopez Castillo’s body was held in custody to manipulate the evidence in the body.

Lost in the shuffle today was the news that the Penal Hall of the
Venezuelan Supreme Court decided against reconsidering the sentence
that freed the Puente El Llaguno gunmen. Even I have to agree with
prosecutor Danilo Anderson who complained that this leaves eight
metropolitan police members still in jail. Members of the Supreme
Court are accusing each other of manipulating the case. Can there be
worse news than this…

Of course there can be, famous burping General Acosta Carles who has
shown his disdain for the law and democracy was proclaimed today as
Carabobo Governor…poor Carabobo…poor Venezuela…and then…

There is the CNE Director Jorge Rodriguez who gave a most biased
statement tonight at the proclamation of Juan Barreto as Mayor of the
Metropolitan area. Rodriguez said: “The political panorama is now
clear, I had to be here, and it is my pleasure. It is you who support
democracy. This new democracy that has received so many aggressions.
This new democracy that has resisted all of the attacks that it has
been subjected to. A new democracy that expressed itself on August
15th. and October 31st. with elections that were absolutely
transparent”…yeah! yeah! yeah!

Lost in the shuffle today was the news that the Penal Hall of the
Venezuelan Supreme Court decided against reconsidering the sentence
that freed the Puente El Llaguno gunmen. Even I have to agree with
prosecutor Danilo Anderson who complained that this leaves eight
metropolitan police members still in jail. Members of the Supreme
Court are accusing each other of manipulating the case. Can there be
worse news than this…

Of course there can be, famous burping General Acosta Carles who has
shown his disdain for the law and democracy was proclaimed today as
Carabobo Governor…poor Carabobo…poor Venezuela…and then…

There is the CNE Director Jorge Rodriguez who gave a most biased
statement tonight at the proclamation of Juan Barreto as Mayor of the
Metropolitan area. Rodriguez said: “The political panorama is now
clear, I had to be here, and it is my pleasure. It is you who support
democracy. This new democracy that has received so many aggressions.
This new democracy that has resisted all of the attacks that it has
been subjected to. A new democracy that expressed itself on August
15th. and October 31st. with elections that were absolutely
transparent”…yeah! yeah! yeah!

Lost in the shuffle today was the news that the Penal Hall of the
Venezuelan Supreme Court decided against reconsidering the sentence
that freed the Puente El Llaguno gunmen. Even I have to agree with
prosecutor Danilo Anderson who complained that this leaves eight
metropolitan police members still in jail. Members of the Supreme
Court are accusing each other of manipulating the case. Can there be
worse news than this…

Of course there can be, famous burping General Acosta Carles who has
shown his disdain for the law and democracy was proclaimed today as
Carabobo Governor…poor Carabobo…poor Venezuela…and then…

There is the CNE Director Jorge Rodriguez who gave a most biased
statement tonight at the proclamation of Juan Barreto as Mayor of the
Metropolitan area. Rodriguez said: “The political panorama is now
clear, I had to be here, and it is my pleasure. It is you who support
democracy. This new democracy that has received so many aggressions.
This new democracy that has resisted all of the attacks that it has
been subjected to. A new democracy that expressed itself on August
15th. and October 31st. with elections that were absolutely
transparent”…yeah! yeah! yeah!

Lost in the shuffle today was the news that the Penal Hall of the
Venezuelan Supreme Court decided against reconsidering the sentence
that freed the Puente El Llaguno gunmen. Even I have to agree with
prosecutor Danilo Anderson who complained that this leaves eight
metropolitan police members still in jail. Members of the Supreme
Court are accusing each other of manipulating the case. Can there be
worse news than this…

Of course there can be, famous burping General Acosta Carles who has
shown his disdain for the law and democracy was proclaimed today as
Carabobo Governor…poor Carabobo…poor Venezuela…and then…

There is the CNE Director Jorge Rodriguez who gave a most biased
statement tonight at the proclamation of Juan Barreto as Mayor of the
Metropolitan area. Rodriguez said: “The political panorama is now
clear, I had to be here, and it is my pleasure. It is you who support
democracy. This new democracy that has received so many aggressions.
This new democracy that has resisted all of the attacks that it has
been subjected to. A new democracy that expressed itself on August
15th. and October 31st. with elections that were absolutely
transparent”…yeah! yeah! yeah!

Well, the anarchists ended up being the Attorney General´s office and
the intelligence police that did indeed raid the residence of Governor
Lapi (He is still in charge). I wonder what the Governor elect would
say now? Isais Rodriguez is an anarquist? The Minsiter of Defense?
Such a big mouth! These people are so predictable…

Well, the anarchists ended up being the Attorney General´s office and
the intelligence police that did indeed raid the residence of Governor
Lapi (He is still in charge). I wonder what the Governor elect would
say now? Isais Rodriguez is an anarquist? The Minsiter of Defense?
Such a big mouth! These people are so predictable…