ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE REQUIRES DIP NOTE FOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 002734 SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 08/26/2014 TAGS: PHUM PREL VE SUBJECT: ATTORNEY GENERAL'S OFFICE REQUIRES DIP NOTE FOR HUMAN RIGHTS INFORMATION Classified By: A/DCM ABELARDO A. ARIAS FOR REASONS 1.4 (d) -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) Alis Boscan, Director of the Office for the Protection of Fundamental Rights at the Attorney General's office, told PolOff August 26 that the Embassy would have to make a formal request to the Attorney General to get information for the Human Rights Report. Boscan promised to begin compiling the information as soon as we faxed her a copy of the Dip Note formally requesting assistance. Boscan said the Dip Note should include the specific cases we wanted information on, and a request for statistics on human rights violations by public officials. End Summary. -------------- The Cold Shoulder -------------- ¶2. (C) PolOff went to see Alis Boscan, Director of the Office for the Protection of Fundamental Rights at the Attorney General's office, on August 26 to request her cooperation in providing statistics on human rights abuses in Venezuela. Boscan's office is in charge of overseeing investigations into human rights abuses by public officials in Venezuela. Boscan was extremely defensive, asking for proof that the office had cooperated in the past, and accusing the State Department of taking statistics off the internet and claiming they came from the Attorney General's office. -------------- With Or Without You -------------- ¶3. (C) PolOff explained to Boscan that the report is a professional document and that we do not misattribute information. PolOff explained the origin of the report as a congressional mandate, and made it clear to Boscan that the report could and would be written with the contribution of human rights groups and newspaper reports if the Attorney General's office did not wish to contribute. -------------- Dip Note -------------- ¶4. (C) Boscan said that she understood our request, and that we would have to make a formal request to the Attorney General for statistics on human rights abuses, and information on specific cases. Boscan said we could fax her the note and she would begin to prepare the information while the official request made its way through the bureaucracy. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶5. (C) It will not be easy to get GOV officials to cooperate in the elaboration of the human rights report. Boscan was clearly nervous about having to deal with the Embassy, and was defensive and negative from the start. We expect similar reactions from the Ministry of Interior and Human Rights Ombudsman's office. McFarland NNNN 2004CARACA02734 - CONFIDENTIAL