POLITICAL PARTIES AND LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS APPEAL

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 CARACAS 000843 SIPDIS SIPDIS HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD DEPT PASS TO AID/OTI RPORTER E.O. 12958: DECL: 04/30/2017 TAGS: PHUM PGOV KDEM SCUL VE SUBJECT: POLITICAL PARTIES AND LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS APPEAL TO OAS, REGIONAL LEADERS REF: A. CARACAS 00699 ¶B. CARACAS 00689 ¶C. CARACAS 00725 ¶D. CARACAS 00147 ¶E. CARACAS 00820 ¶F. CARACAS 00823 CARACAS 00000843 001.2 OF 002 Classified By: ACTING POLITICAL COUNSELOR DANIEL LAWTON FOR REASON 1.4 (D) ¶1. (C) Summary. Opposition political parties and judicial NGO Foro Penal capitalized on the presence of regional heads of state at the April 17 Energy Summit to draw attention to President Chavez and the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela's (BRV's) authoritarian tendencies. Opposition politicians met April 18 with Chilean President Michelle Bachelet and NGO Foro Penal released a report documenting the politicization of the judiciary. Separately, Un Nuevo Tiempo (UNT) called on regional leaders to consider the "democratic deficit" that exists in Venezuela. On April 19, UNT party leaders delivered a report to the OAS detailing their case. Chavez' attacks on international bodies continue unabated, despite NGOs' appeals to international institutions. End Summary. -------------- Opposition Meets with Chilean President -------------- ¶2. (C) Chilean President Michelle Bachelet met April 18 with former presidential candidate and de facto opposition leader Manuel Rosales and other opposition partly leaders from Primero Justicia, Accion Democratica, and COPEI. According to UNT International Coordinator Timoteo Zambrano, the Chilean President listened politely to the opposition's concerns. Zambrano lamented that opposition parties continue to disagree on the severity of democratic problems in Venezuela. He also wished Bachelet had consented to a photo with the group. The UNT had planned to try to see other regional leaders attending the Energy Summit on Margarita Island, but decided not to venture there because of strict BRV security on the island. According to Zambrano, some UNT youth members who had planned to protest at the Summit were rounded up and beaten the night before their planned protest. -------------- Democratic Deficit -------------- ¶3. (U) In an April 17 press conference, Zambrano called on visiting heads of state to consider the "democratic deficit �00A;that (the Chavez) government has incurred." Zambrano spoke about the BRV's "unilateral" decision to close RCTV, the politicization of the judiciary and the military, and Chavez' March 24 attacks on union autonomy (ref A). Zambrano also noted that UNT would present a report to Jose Manuel Insulza, Secretary General of the OAS, detailing the BRV's lack of SIPDIS democratic credentials. ¶4. (SBU) Zulia state governor and former presidential candidate Manuel Rosales, UNT party leaders, and supporters organized an April 19 march to the OAS' headquarters in Caracas to present their report. The report largely addressed the lack of independence among the branches of government. The report also criticized the Enabling Law passed January 31 by the 100 percent pro-Chavez National Assembly, which allows Chavez to decree laws for a total of 18 months in broadly defined areas. In addition, the report criticizes the "pact of secrecy" reached between Chavez and the Presidential Commission for Constitutional Reform. According to UNT, these measures intend to "modify the fundamental institutions of the State...in order to construct (Chavez') so-called '21st Century Socialism.'" ¶5. (U) UNT also expressed concern about changes affecting the judiciary. The report highlighted Chavez' successful efforts in 2004 to pack the Supreme Court (TSJ) with sympathizers. It also referenced several high-profile politically motivated cases, including those of former Yaracuay state Governor Eduardo Lapi (ref B),retired General Francisco Uson (ref C), three ex-police commissioners listed as political prisoners in the 2006 Human Rights Report (Simonovis, Forero, and Viva) (refs C,D),and opposition mayors Leopoldo Lopez and Enrique Caprilles. Separately, the report mentioned Chavez' aggressive efforts to create a single pro-government political party, the United Socialist Party of Venezuela CARACAS 00000843 002.2 OF 002 (PSUV),and his public criticism of prominent holdouts from smaller pro-Chavez parties (refs A, E). -------------- Judicial Watchdog Releases Report -------------- ¶6. (C) Judicial NGO Foro Penal released an April 15 report that discusses several politically motivated cases and the politicization of the judicial system. Foro Penal mentioned many of the same cases highlighted by UNT, including that of Monica Fernandez, Executive Director of Foro Penal. The group tried unsuccessfully to meet with Bachelet while she was in Venezuela. Fernandez told POLOFF April 27 that she and a group from Foro Penal, including Ms. Uson and Mrs. Simonovis, intend to travel to Europe June 17 to present dossiers on the cases mentioned in their report. The two-week trip, arranged in part by Freedom House, will include Madrid, Brussels, and The Hague. (NOTE: Foro Penal is one of Venezuela's premier judicial watchdog organizations. The NGO closely monitors and reports on legal decisions by the courts and the National Assembly. Additionally, Foro Penal provides legal assistance to victims of human rights abuses as well as human rights defenders. END NOTE.) -------------- COMMENT -------------- ¶7. (C) Chavez has responded harshly to local efforts to appeal to international bodies and has shown no inclination to be influenced by international criticism. In his latest diatribe, for example, Chavez, using a colloquial expression, said the Inter-American Human Rights Commission "should go soak its head" for accusing the BRV of curtailing freedom of expression (ref F). ¶8. (C) Separately, Foro Penal Executive Director Fernandez said her group would be open to recommendations for meetings while in Europe, including with Emboffs at European posts. Post stands ready to pass to Foro Penal suggestions for possible meetings with Emboffs, host government representatives, political parties, or human rights NGOs from European posts. BROWNFIELD