VENEZUELA STRONGLY CONDEMNS EXECUTION OF SADDAM

C O N F I D E N T I A L CARACAS 000021

SIPDIS

SIPDIS

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E.O. 12958: DECL: 01/04/2017
TAGS: PREL VE
SUBJECT: VENEZUELA STRONGLY CONDEMNS EXECUTION OF SADDAM
HUSSEIN


Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ROBERT DOWNES FOR 1.4 (D)


1. (SBU) In a press release January 3, the Venezuelan
Foreign Ministry strongly condemned the execution of Saddam
Hussein, which it called "a political crime produced by an
illegitimate foreign occupation." The BRV couched its
objection not only as a rejection of the death penalty, but
also of a world power usurping the UN's role presumably in
judging crimes against humanity. The BRV specifically
accused "invading forces led by the United States" of
imposing a tribunal to conduct an orchestrated show trial
that denied Hussein due process. The BRV also compared the
150 charges of murder against Hussein to the thousands of
dead and wounded Iraqi citizens and U.S. soldiers resulting
from the so-called "military occupation of Iraq ordered by
President Bush" and declared that those responsible would one
day answer to international courts. The statement ended with
a call for an end to the U.S. military presence in Iraq and
for the UN to re-establish Iraq's sovereignty and investigate
human rights violations committed in the name of the
"hypocritical" fight against terrorism.


2. (U) Informal translation of full text as follows:

The Government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela
categorically condemns the execution to which the
ex-President of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, was submitted, and does
not doubt in qualifying this repudiated act as a political
crime produced by the illegitimate foreign occupation of that
brother Arab nation.

The assassination of Saddam Hussein was the culmination of a
fixed trial, realized by tribunals imposed by invading forces
led by the Army of the United States of America. The
defeated and later executed ex-Iraqi leader was denied the
right to due process, his lawyers suffered persecution,
threats, and assassination attempts, and the abuses committed
against him reveal the orchestrated scheme to ultimately
legalize this crime that today shakes the dignity of the
people of the world, particularly that of the Arab people.

The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela rejects, on reasons of
principle, the use of the death penalty, as stated in our
Constitution, but also refuses to validate the actions of one
or more world powers, with the help of other countries, in
assuming the right to usurp the United Nations' role, and
impose decisions destined to deprive the liberty and later
the life of a leader deposed by invading troops.

The ex-President of Iraq was accused of killing some 150
people, and for this he was sent to the gallows. But the
military occupation of the Iraqi territory, ordered by the
President of the United States, George W. Bush, has led to
the death of dozens of thousands of citizens of that country
and more than 3,000 North American soldiers and about 20,000
battle wounded.

One day those responsible for these thousands of murders and
these grave violations of human rights will respond to
international justice.

We reiterate our demand for the cessation of the illegal
occupation to which Iraq is submitted and formulate a call to
the United Nations to initiate the steps to re-establish the
sovereignty of that nation and to investigate the innumerable
human rights violations that have been committed in the name
of the hypocritical fight against terrorism.


3. (C) Comment: This statement comes as no surprise from a
government with a decidedly skewed and misguided view of
world events--for example, BRV leaders from President Chavez
on down have repeatedly accused the USG of staging the
September 11 terrorist attack. Chavez has long been an
extremely vocal opponent of the war in Iraq, which he
considers to be yet another show of U.S. imperialism. This
statement is generally consistent with many of Chavez'
statements over the past three years.

WHITAKER