KILLING OF POLITICAL PROSECUTOR

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 003577 SIPDIS NSC FOR C. BARTON USCINCSO ALSO FOR POLAD E.O. 12958: DECL: 12/08/2013 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM VE SUBJECT: KILLING OF POLITICAL PROSECUTOR Classified By: Political Counselor Abelardo A. Arias for reason 1.4 (d) . -------------- SUMMARY -------------- ¶1. (C) Venezuelan prosecutor Danilo Anderson was killed the night of November 18, according to press reports and the GoV, as he traveled home in his personal vehicle. More than a dozen GoV officials and government supporters, among them Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel, went to the site of the incident while investigators scoured for evidence. President Hugo Chavez scrubbed his attendance at San Jose's Ibero-American Summit, citing the seriousness of the incident, which opposition and government supporters have repudiated. As the GoV's leading prosecutor on political cases, Anderson was pursuing cases against some 400 persons for the April 2002 events, including most recently charging the former Mayor of Caracas and his police chiefs for murder. The GoV is likely to use the incident to further tar Chavez opponents as violent and to press for greater U.S. cooperation, with a dose of criticism, on doing something about foes in our country. End Summary. ¶2. (U) At approximately 11:00 p.m. November 18, according to press reports, the car in which Venezeulan prosecutor Danilo Anderson was driving exploded on the streets of Caracas' Santa Monica neighborhood. Anderson was the government's leading prosecutor on political cases. He had pressed the case against Baruta Mayor Henrique Capriles for allegedly failing to protect the Cuban Embassy during the events of April 2002. He subsequently began investigating some 400 persons for their alleged support of the short-lived government of Pedro Carmona in April 2002. Most recently, Anderson had begun to prosecute former Caracas Mayor Alfredo Pena and his two highest ranking police officials, alleging that they were responsible for the deaths of demonstrators at the hands of the Metropolitan Police in April 2002. ¶3. (U) GoV authorities initially only speculated that the victim was Anderson, and more than half a dozen officials visited the site of the incident. Among the officials present were Vice President Jose Vicente Rangel, Ministers Andres Izarra (Communication and Information),Rafael Ramirez (Energy) and Jesse Chacon (Interior),Attorney General Isaias Rodriguez, National Electoral Council director Jorge Rodriguez, Mayors Juan Barreto and Freddy Bernal, Miranda State Gov. Diosdado Cabello and numerous pro-GoV National Assembly deputies. An official at the capital's morgue confirmed that the victim was Anderson nearly twelve hours after the incident. ¶4. (U) President Hugo Chavez decided to cancel his trip to San Jose, Costa Rica to attend the Ibero-American Summit, Communications Minister Izarra told reporters. Izarra did not comment on whether the President intended to cancel the rest of his foreign travel itinerary. Chavez is scheduled to also travel to Spain, Russia and Iran on this jaunt out of the country. ¶5. (U) Pro-government and opposition figures alike repudiated the incident. Spokesperson for various political parties called on Venezuelans to reject violence. Caracas Mayor Juan Barreto, who had gathered a group of supporters in front of the Public Ministry to call for a full investigation of the incident, congratulated the opposition for condemning the violence. VP Rangel said the GoV would investigate the case to its fullest capacity, and called for the people to remain serene. Rangel called the killing a brutal act of terrorism, against dialogue and the rule of law. ¶6. (C) The Ambassador spoke with VP Rangel at noon November 19 to express condolences and offer any information we might develop on the incident. Rangel asked that any communication be through the state intelligence service (DISIP),and asked why the U.S. had taken no steps against Orlando Urdaneta, a Venezuelan citizen who reportedly made threatening remarks against President Chavez on a Miami television station in October. Ambassador responded that we so far had only received a diplomatic note of protest on the Urdaneta matter; should the GoV seek specific operational information or assistance, we would respond accordingly. -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) Initial reactions across the Venezuelan political spectrum appropriately repudiate and reject this act of violence. Unfortunately, it will likely only be a matter of time before the GoV turns its sights to political enemies to blame for Anderson's killing regardless of the evidence. Anderson himself had certainly made many enemies in his investigations, so many that conducting any full professional investigation in itself would be daunting work. Easier targets for the government, for example, are the dissident military officers that have been in hiding for weeks and months. Certainly we can expect pro-government voices to begin chastising opponents, alleging that their desire to get rid of President Chavez at whatever cost led to Anderson's demise. We can also expect the GoV to set its sights on us, directly or indirectly, pressing with a dose of criticism for greater cooperation from us to do something about their foes -- all who they allege to be terrorists -- in our country. ¶8. (C) This act of terrorism will heighten the GoV and Chavez's fear that there are opponents who will try to kill them. The murder also presents the GoV with an opportunity to seek ways to crack down on all opponents, including continuation of the cases Anderson has been prosecuting. 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