Posted on 08/19/2004 5:50:36 AM PDT by JesseHousman
A little-noticed drama unfolding in a tiny courtroom at Miami-Dade's Krome detention center provides a small window into the political turmoil roiling Venezuela.
It's the asylum case of José Antonio Colina and Germán Rodolfo Varela, two former Venezuelan military officers accused of bombing the Spanish Embassy and Colombian Consulate in Caracas last year.
On the surface, they share much in common. But they are strikingly different. And it's those differences that confound traditional perceptions of the Venezuelan scene.
Both are former lieutenants in the Venezuelan National Guard. Both broke with President Hugo Chávez. Both joined thousands of anti-Chávez protesters at Plaza Fráncia de Altamira, a public square in a wealthy neighborhood of Caracas. Both fled Venezuela after being charged with blowing up the diplomatic missions.
DIFFERENT ORIGINS
But that's where the similarities end.
Colina, son of a retired municipal worker and a schoolteacher, comes from a poor family in one of the most populous shanty towns that cover the hillsides of western Caracas -- areas widely perceived as Chávez strongholds.
Varela comes from a family of privilege and power, whose bastions are largely in the wealthy eastern neighborhoods of Caracas.
Varela's father, a retired general, is a former commander of the Venezuelan National Guard. He lives with his wife, Sól Maritza, in a spacious home in San Antonio de los Altos, a prosperous bedroom community just south of Caracas.
Neither Colina nor Varela agreed to an interview, but their court testimony has shed light on their lives and cases. Colina testified last month. Varela began testifying on Aug. 12.
Venezuelan Judge Deyanira Nieves issued an arrest warrant for Colina and Varela on Nov. 14 in connection with the Feb. 25, 2003, bombings.
They arrived at Miami International Airport in December and asked for political asylum. They were detained at Krome pending resolution of their petitions.
Colina and Varela deny the charges, calling them a government effort to portray Venezuela's opposition as violent.
Venezuelan prosecutors say the evidence against them is solid, based on a witness who allegedly overheard people plotting the bombings.
The U.S. government has not taken a position on Venezuela's demand that Colina and Varela be extradited. But Homeland Security prosecutors have asked immigration Judge Neale Foster, who is presiding over the case, to deny safe haven.
Government papers filed in the case say there are ''serious reasons'' to believe Colina and Varela ''committed a serious nonpolitical crime'' before they arrived at MIA.
WHY DID THEY FLEE?
Homeland Security Assistant Chief Counsels Gina Garrett Jackson and Cárlos López have sought to show Colina and Varela fled prosecution -- not persecution.
Defense attorneys Leopoldo Ochoa and Kenneth Panzer say the Venezuelan legal system has been so politicized by Chávez that their clients would not get a fair trial.
Colina, 30, is the most intriguing of the two because of his background.
People in the barrios of the west of Caracas are generally seen as Chávez allies because of his efforts to improve their lives through various social initiatives, including sending Cuban doctors to run medical clinics in their neighborhoods.
Colina told the Krome court that the perception that only the wealthy oppose Chávez is wrong.
''It's just not so,'' Colina testified, claiming the Chávez government targeted him for ''physical elimination'' because he was traveling around the country trying to dispel that perception.
''It's always said that the poor support Chávez,'' Colina said. ``But I'm from there. I was born in a humble place and I know that people in humble places do not support him.''
Colina's parents say their son is telling the truth.
''He thinks like we think, like 70 percent of Venezuelans think,'' Colina's father, Antonio Benito Colina, told The Herald during an interview earlier this year.
REFERENDUM RESULTS
Yet, electoral officials said Monday that Chávez had survived Sunday's recall referendum. The opposition refused to accept the outcome, saying it was fraudulent.
Colina said he broke with Chávez because he brought Cuban military advisors to train Venezuelan troops, permitted Colombian guerrillas to operate freely on Venezuelan soil and fostered corruption among the military.
Though he portrayed himself as a peaceful Chávez foe, Colina acknowledged having had recent contacts with former Venezuelan Gen. Felipe Rodríguez, a fugitive said to be plotting Chávez's violent overthrow -- and also wanted in connection with the bombings.
Single, Colina is the only child of the marriage between Antonio Benito Colina and Gisela Pulido.
MET IN SCHOOL
Colina and Varela met when both attended officers' school between 1990 and 1995.
Colina became a logistics and supply officer near Caracas.
Varela was deployed to the Colombian border.
Varela, 31, is the son of retired Gen. Germán Varela, who served as National Guard commander for a few months in 1999 before losing confidence in Chávez.
The younger Varela, the oldest of three brothers, fell in love with military life growing up in the various military installations where his father was stationed.
Unlike Colina, who always appears serious, Varela smiles easily.
Gen. Varela said his son loves to entertain people. ``He loves to sing. He's actually a good singer.''
When his son fled with Colina to the United States, Gen. Varela said, he left behind his family -- a common-law wife and a 2-year-old son. He also has a 5-year-old daughter by a previous marriage, the father said.
On Aug. 12, Varela testified that he sought asylum because he feared for his life in Venezuela after supplying sensitive information to the CIA about how Colombian guerrillas operate in Venezuela under Chávez's protection. The CIA declined to comment.
''I felt I was being persecuted and my life was in danger,'' Varela said.
Judge Foster is expected to decide later this year whether the two men can stay or are to be deported.
I assume this is sarcasm?
Indeed, I'm surprised he didn't help Saddam count his 100% landslide votes.
ping
I could just spit.
There is another chilling account on Opinion Journal, of the post election madness in Venezuela. As far as I'm concerned, Jimmy Carter needs to be called up to explain his endorsement of the veracity of this election and his support for Chavez. The aftermath of that election was every bit as bad as we expected, and the election just as corrupt. Carter must be insane.
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