Chavez arresting opposition - allies say more arrests pending

CARACAS, Venezuela - Thousands of government opponents staged a street rally on Thursday to protest the arrest of opposition leader Carlos Fernandez, who faces charges of treason and instigating violence.

Chanting "Free Fernandez!" and "This is a dictatorship!" while waving red, yellow and blue Venezuelan flags, angry demonstrators marched round an air force base in eastern Caracas. Songs calling for peace boomed from loudspeakers while motorists honked horns.

President Hugo Chavez, speaking at the presidential palace, said he gave secret police the green light to detain Fernandez.

"One of the coup plotters was arrested last night. It was about time, and see how the others are running to hide," Chavez triumphed. "I went to bed with a smile."

Chavez said judges shouldn't "be afraid to issue arrest warrants against coup-plotters."

Government opponents at the rally accused the former paratroop commander of trying to establish a Cuban-style dictatorship in this South American nation of 24 million.

"This is an escalation of violence by the government, which has arrived at the extreme of repression," said Carlos Feijoo, 88, a retired oil worker at the demonstration. "He wants to copy Fidel (Castro)."

Government allies warned that more than 100 opposition leaders - ranging from labor bosses to news media executives - who supported a two-month strike to oust Chavez could also be arrested. The work stoppage ended on Feb. 4 in all sectors except the oil industry.

"More than one hundred are on the list to be captured," said Luis Velasquez, a ruling party lawmaker. It could not be immediately confirmed if such a list existed.

Eight armed secret police agents seized Fernandez at about midnight Wednesday as he was leaving a restaurant in Caracas' trendy Las Mercedes district, said his bodyguard, Juan Carlos Fernandez. He said the men fired in the air when patrons tried to stop them from taking Fernandez.

Fernandez and Carlos Ortega, president of the country's largest labor union, called the strike on Dec. 2 to demand Chavez's resignation and early elections.

Fernandez's wife, Sonia, spoke briefly with her husband by telephone and said that he was in good condition at secret police headquarters. Fernandez was meeting with his attorneys, she said.

Ortega was ordered to surrender, also on treason and instigating violence charges, said magistrate Maikel Jose Moreno. The tough-talking labor boss said he wouldn't turn himself in.

"We have nothing to fear," Ortega said in a telephone interview with the local Globovision TV channel. "The only one who has a date with justice is the president."

Chavez, who was elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2000, has accused the two opposition leaders of plotting to overthrow his government with the strike and by orchestrating "an economic coup."

Cesar Gaviria, Secretary General of the Organization of American States, said Venezuelan judges have the autonomy to make such decisions.

But judicial decisions should be based on "independence, impartiality and conform in strict compliance with the laws and respect for rights consecrated in the constitution," Gaviria said in a communique.

U.S. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said officials in Washington were worried the arrest could hinder efforts to end the stalemate between political rivals.

"We fear the act could undermine the dialogue process," said Boucher, adding "this increases our concerns about human rights in Venezuela."

Albis Munoz, vice president of Fedecamaras business chamber, which Fernandez leads, warned of another nationwide strike in response to the arrest. The Confederation of Venezuelan Workers said a 12- or 24-hour stoppage was possible.

Opposition leaders called for more street protests and appealed to the OAS, the United Nations (news - web sites) and the Carter Center, run by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, which have brokered talks here.

Chavez supporters gathered near the secret police headquarters and a downtown plaza to celebrate the arrest.

"It's what had to be done. These opposition leaders tried to destroy the country, now they must be punished," said Tomas Ordonez, a 49-year-old taxi driver.

Deja-freakin'-vu! You idiots, STOP CALLING CARTER, he is NOT YOUR FRIEND!!! Don't you remember the Sandinistas? Carter's natural and irrepressible response to a vangard lenninist regime is to nurture, coddle and protect it. Carter detests everything you represent. He wants Chavez to win this fight and he wants you to LOSE.

The big problem for the people of Venezuela who don't like Chavez is that their neighbors do want him in power. The people of Venezuela actually put him back in power last April after a coup. If the anti-Chavez gang is looking for aid and support from outside the countries borders they will be waiting a long time.

The USA is having difficulty getting support to remove a madman with WMD from Europe's backyard. Sadly many European and Arab countries can not find a backbone or bother to care about Saddam. Equally sadly, most people outside of Venezuala really couldn't care less about Chavez's human rights violations as long as the gas gets pumped.

Good luck my South American brothers, but don't wait for reinforcements 'cause you're on your own.

i'm surprised chavez didn't arrest and try the people who carried out the coup last april.

Interesting you should say that.

The event last April wasn't actually a coup. His private militia opened fire and gunned down several dozen people. That provoked his generals to place him under arrest for murder.

They tried to establish a transitional government, to take them back to the pre-Chavez constitution. The problem is that Chavez has a fair amount of support among the younger officers, who it happens were the ones assigned to guard him.

When the militia and the pro-Chavist mobs seized the presidential palace, his jailers put him on a chopper and flew him back in. The "transitional government" was not prepared to fight, and simply folded.

The temporary "president" was arrested, and has since left the country.

The general who arrested Chavez was charged with treason, and tried by the Supreme Court, who were hand-picked by Chavez. They turned him loose. He was re-charged, and Chavez threatened the Supreme Court justices with arrest if they failed to convict him; they turned him loose again.

This indicates that Chavez's support has eroded mightily when his toadies are no longer obeying him, under threat of arrest.

The general in question went to one of the main plazas in town and announced that he was not going home until Chavez was gone. This was the start of the Altamira movement, which has been demanding Chavez's resignation since.

Since then the militias have continued to shoot and kill opposition demonstrators, and soldiers and officers who express dissent have been murdered.

At the time Chavez was elected he had overwhelming support. The traditional parties were so demoralized that they couldn't even muster a single viable candidate, and were laughed off the political stage. This in the face of coup-leader who was openly promising to cancel the Constitution if elected. Which he proceeded to do from the inaugural podium.

By April, his support had slipped to something like 20% of the population. The problem is that this 20% is prepared to fight. They are armed, and they are willing to use their weapons, and have done so.

The 80%, who want a return to legal government, simply haven't come to the conclusion that they must likewise arm themselves and fight.

The army is split down the middle, with the Chavist half well ready to fight to defend him, and the anti-Chavist half wanting at all costs to avoid a civil war. Guess who wins that kind of showdown.

The only thing in the anti-Chavists favor is that the army will not fire on civilians whatever happens. The problem, of course, is that Chavez's civilian militia will fire on them. And he has salted the army's ranks with Cubans in Venezuelan uniforms who can be expected to do what they are told to do.

You are right. We will not help. We do not want any Venezuelan blood on our hands. Chavez is not leaving office, not now, not next year, not no how. The people are going to have to either accept his rule or overthrow him. Either way it is not going to be pretty.

you know the part where they suspended the supreme court, congress and the constitution? thats a coup.

That is what took place from the inaugural podium when Chavez took power. He canceled the constitution, fired the Supreme Court, and closed Congress.

Legally, obviously, he couldn't do it. But he did do it.

I would count that as the start of his dictatorship, but he continued to observe the niceties of democratic, if not legal, government for a while longer. Perhaps a better benchmark for the start of autocratic government came later, when he tired of having to pass everything through his supremely compliant Congress, and directed them to grant him rule by decree. From that day forward, he has been bound not even by his own hand-written constitution, nor by his own hand-picked Supreme Court.

When they arrested him last April, they announced a return to the pre-Chavez Constitution. Obviously, the post-Chavez institutions would be terminated. While that makes perfect legal sense, it was probably a political mistake, as even though the Court was a wholly Chavist creation, and the Congress had been packed with Chavists at its inception, by that April even they had turned on him. So if the transitional government left them alone, at least until the new elections, they would probably have supported the new "president". Firing them drove them back over to Chavez's side.

I think we've had this discussion before. Democracy depends on the rule of law to have any meaning. If you elect a president who is not bound by any law, if you elect a party that does not believe in liberty, you have already lost your freedom. The country is already in a state of revolutionary rule. Chavez is not a "democrat", he is a revolutionary, and he will not be voted out. Once rule of law has been suspended, and it has, you have to be prepared to fight. Your democratic institutions have been subverted and have become your jailers.

It is quite possible to vote yourself into slavery. It is not possible to vote yourself out of it.

The Supreme Court was appointed by Chavez.

The Constitution was written by a committee appointed by Chavez, with Chavez editing their work as they went along. Basically, whatever he asked for, they gave him. Which makes the next thing seem a little bizarre; despite the fact that they gave him everything he asked for, the Constitution they wrote and the one that was actually published are two different documents. Odd. But a good first clue if anyone was paying attention.

The Congress was elected under the new Constitution. The non-Chavist parties were still in disarray, and couln't mount any kind of a campaign, and consequently all of the winning Congressmen, with the possible exception of one or two, were Chavists. Which meant they also proceeded to give him everything he asked for. Which makes it rather strange, then, that he required "rule by decree", when he had no effective opposition at all. By that time a few Congressmen were starting to question his behavior, and his violations of his own Constitution, but they were so much in the minority that they were easy to ignore.

But, he asked for "rule by decree" and got it.

I mark that as the end of democratic rule in Venezuela.

Venezuela is a great civics lesson for anyone who is paying attention. The difference between freedom and democracy, between democracy and rule of law, are amply demonstrated. We know, of course, that Hitler was elected democratically, we know that dictators everywhere have elections, which they always win. And we know that many dictators actually have tremendous popular support, thanks in part to propaganda, in part to the country's peculiar political culture, and in part to ruthless repression of dissent.

But this is a lesson in real-time. By now, his support has slipped to a fraction of what it once was, but his control is very firm. Most of the people want him out, but the ones who want him in are prepared to fight, and shed blood. And have done so. The ones who want him out want a peaceful resolution. Guess who wins? About half the army is with him, but they are willing to fight. The other half wants a return to constitutional government, but they want at all costs to avoid a civil war. Again, guess who wins?

The opposition has placed its faith in peaceful demonstrations taht are supposed to wound the consciences of their oppressors, who will agree to resign in contrition. And the Chavist militia is shooting them down.

You could imagine the chaos in the US if we ever gave up our Constitution. A good percentage of us would never agree to be ruled by any other, and we would be the outlaws.

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"The people are going to have to either accept his rule or overthrow him. Either way it is not going to be pretty."

I agree with your assessment completely. The people of Venezuela have my sympathies and my prayers, but this is their fight alone. I wish them success. If history is to be believed many people have overthrown the shackles of tyranny in the past. Unfortunately many of those same countries replace their shackles with thicker ones. However some countries like the USA and England shine the light of freedom for other people to follow.

America has the military power to help Venezuela we lack the political fortitude to intervene, but even greater we lack the moral right to intervene. Should America decide to serve freedom up to the Venezuela people it would soon be run down faster than a public assistance housing unit. "Freedom" is not appreciated when it is given. Often "Freedom's" value is measured in the currency of human lives lost.

"Uh, tell that to the thousands of 'enablers' that Chavez has imported from Cuba, the Middle East, China, and Brazil..."

Ok. If that is indeed the case. Enablers! Listen to me!!! Shame on you for choosing this time of tribulation to hide your actions. Though I am saddened to say it Dubya has correctly decided that it makes no sense to remove Chavez if he is replaced with a worse terror. 20% of the population are socialists willing to fight, while the 80% step aside and let a new dictator take control. May I suggest that you take up what arms you can and fight for your country. I am very sorry that the bad guys are not playing by the rules, and if I could make the world the way I wanted, it wouldn't be that way. The 80% eloi are on their own and all I can offer is my sympathies and my prayers.

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