Venezuelan union leader sentenced to 7 years in prison, lawyer says

[hack89]

Source: Canadian Press

CARACAS, Venezuela — A prominent union leader was sentenced to seven years in prison Monday on charges stemming from a strike that temporarily paralyzed Venezuela's state-run iron mining company, his lawyer said.

The ruling raised concerns among human rights activists who accuse the government of President Hugo Chavez of misusing the legal system to curb the power of organized labour, particularly unions at state-operated companies.

Read more: http://www.google.com/hostednews/canadianpress/article/ALeqM5gj1x4tijgLkrFOnqt69AXyxNQMNg?docId=6100659

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Looks like Hugo and Scott Walker think alike when it comes to workers and their pesky unions.

[The Doctor.]

1. Given history,

don't mind me if I take this with a grain of salt.

[sufrommich]

2. The BBC is reporting it too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-12604642

[EFerrari]

12. And many outlets reported Saddam's WMD, so?

I don't understand why so many posters jump on this bandwagon when these stories usually turn out to be crap.

[Freddie Stubbs]

3. Hopefully this doesn't give Scott Walker any ideas

[COLGATE4]

4. Fearless Leader shows his true colors once again.

[The Doctor.]

5. Without knowing the whole story, I'm not going to let the media tell me how to judge him.

That's what the media has been trying to do all along. Chavez has been good for Venezuela in general. He supported the Coca-Cola worker's strike and has stood against corporations.

The way this story is portrayed is at odds with Chavez' actions. It's not hard to believe they're leaving something out.

[24601]

6. Dictators/Tyrants are never good for their countries. n/t

[Arctic Dave]

7. Since Chavez is niether, what is your point?

[The Doctor.]

9. We have far more tyrants here than Venezuela does.

Ours are just behind curtains.

[24601]

11. I don't necesssarily agree with every Obama decision - but he

hasn't (yet) shut down the opposition - and neither did the Republicans. Squint through those rose-colored specs if you want since it's a free country, here.

"Some human rights officials allege the arrest was politically motivated; Cedeño "had been in pretrial detention for nearly three years, despite a two-year limit prescribed by Venezuelan law".<207> Cedeño later fled to the U.S. to avoid prosecution. Following Afiuni's arrest, several groups, including the United Nations, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Episcopal Conference of Venezuela, Human Rights Watch, the Law Society of England and Wales, the U.S. Department of State, and the European Union Parliament accused Chávez of "creating a climate of fear" among Venezuela's legal profession.<207><208><209><210><211><212><213><214> The European Parliament called this "an attack on the independence of the judiciary by the President of a nation, who should be its first guarantor".<215> A director of Human Rights Watch said, "Once again the Chávez government has demonstrated its fundamental disregard for the principle of judicial independence."<207>"

"In 2008, Human Rights Watch criticized Chávez for engaging in "often discriminatory policies that have undercut journalists' freedom of expression."<203> Freedom House lists Venezuela's press as being "Not Free" in its 2009 Map of Press Freedom.<226> Reporters Without Borders has criticized the Chávez administration for "steadily silencing its critics".<227> In the group's 2009 Press Freedom Index, Reporters Without Borders noted that "Venezuela is now among the region’s worst press freedom offenders."<227>

"In the days before the 11 April 2002 coup, the five main private Venezuelan TV stations gave advertising space to those calling for anti-Chávez demonstrations.<228><229> In 2006, Chávez announced that the terrestrial broadcast license for RCTV would not be renewed, due to its refusal to pay taxes and fines, and its alleged open support of the 2002 coup attempt against Chávez, and role in helping to instigate the oil strike in 2002–2003.<230> RCTV was transmitted via cable and satellite and was widely viewable in Venezuela until January 2010, when it was excluded by cable companies in response to an order of National Commission of Telecommunications.<231><232><233> The failure to renew its terrestrial broadcast license had been condemned by a multitude of international organizations, many of whom have claimed that the closure was politically motivated, and was intended to silence government critics.<234><235><236><237>"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hugo_Ch%C3%A1vez

[Arctic Dave]

8. I don't see anything saying HC was part of this other then acuusations.

Is there a link with any proof?

[The Doctor.]

10. It's 'reporting through insinuation'. It's a pretty typical RW thing.

Chavez may well have had something to do with this. Perhaps he makes definite distinctions between public and private employees' unions. Some people go out of their way to employ 'perception management'.

[UTUSN]

13. naaaaAAAAHHHH!1 *can't* be!1

* a "state runned" outfit was wrenched by a union?!1

* a "prominent labor leader" got thrown in a brig?!1

* human rights activists are concerned?!1

* Huguito "misusing the legal system" ----------CAN'T be!1

* against "organized labor"?!1 -------CAN'T be!1


NOT Huguito!1 Why, he's out there condemning KADAFY!1



(To the HugoNAUGHTS: ) I've got SMELL for non-democracy!1 )

[UTUSN]

14. (Counting down to the personal attacks: 3, 2, 1 ... ) n/t

[unkachuck]

15. "The president accuses Provea and other groups of doing the bidding of his political adversaries."

....brother Hugo, if you've got proof that the Unions and human rights group have political or monetary ties to the U.S. or your fascist enemies, tell us about it....but seven year in prison for calling a strike, is excessive....did the strike have any merit or was it frivolous?

....I hope when you speak on the matter, you'll agree, that the seven year sentence needs to be dramatically reduced....

[Old Troop]

16. The sentence should be reduced? Is your point that labor actions

should be punished by government, but this was a little too harsh?