Venezuela's allies tell OAS chief not to meddle

[Judi Lynn]

Venezuela's allies tell OAS chief not to meddle
The Associated Press
Saturday, February 19, 2011; 10:17 PM

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Latin American allies came to the defense of President Hugo Chavez's government on Saturday, telling the head of the Organization of American States not to meddle in Venezuela's domestic affairs.

Nations belonging to a left-leaning bloc led by Venezuela and Cuba accused OAS chief Jose Miguel Insulza of being a pawn of the U.S. government, which has urged Chavez's administration to allow an international investigation into alleged human rights abuses.

Dozens of Venezuelan students participating in a hunger strike are demanding that Insulza look into their allegations that the government improperly uses judges and prosecutors to persecute Chavez's political adversaries.

"We demand that the secretary-general of the OAS stop his attacks against Venezuela's government," members of the Bolivarian Alternative for the Nations of Our America, or ALBA, said in a joint statement.

More:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2011/02/19/AR2011021904402.html

[social_critic]

1. Should read Ecuador, Bolivia and Nicaragua oppose human rights investigations

Venezuela's allies turn out to be Ecuador, Bolivia and Nicaragua, plus three caribbean mini nations. Not exactly a large group, is it? All of them ruled by leftists engaged in self perpetuation. If Venezuela has such a glowing human rights records, then why is it so afraid to let human rights NGOs and the Interamerican Commission of Human Rights go to Venezuela to check what's going on?

[Judi Lynn]

2. They can ask OAS about it, since the strikers are lying around outside the door at OAS, anyway. n/t

[social_critic]

3. Insulza has already requested a visit to Venezuela, has been refused

Venezuelan diplomats lied when they said Insulza had not requested a visit to start the process of investigating the Venezuelan human rights complaints.

The number of hunger strikers in Venezuela is gradually increasing. And the wave of protests in the Arab world are starting to impact people's thinking here. To make matters worse for Chavez, last night al Jazeera had a short section on Venezuela, and speculated the first country outside the Arab world to experience serious unrest will be Venezuela, because Chavez has been such an autocrat. They are very fair and balanced :-)

[joshcryer]

4. Is there a text link about that report?

I'd like to see it. Looking for a video link now. I hope someone recorded it somewhere. I'd like to know who speculated that.

[social_critic]

5. Here are some links about Insulza's debate with the Venezuelan reps

http://www.prensalibre.com/internacionales/Insulza-desmiente-Venezuela-visita-huelguistas_0_429557236.html

http://primicias24.com/nacionales/insulza-asegura-haber-solicitado-a-venezuela-permiso-de-visita-en-numerosas-ocasiones/

Insulza tells Petokoff that Venezuela is no longer a democratic country:

http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/noticia/63830/insulza-dijo-que-venezuela-no-pasaria-el-examen-de-la-carta-democratica/

Here's one of the red websites calling the student hunger strikers "fascists". Talk about the pot calling the kettle black.

http://www.patriagrande.com.ve/temas/venezuela/insulza-insiste-necesita-autorizacion-venir-venezuela/

[joshcryer]

6. gracias