Vzla: The Chavista way

One day, when the time comes to write the history of this last week, hard questions are going to be asked. People who have spent a lifetime criticizing puntofijismo, attacking the old regime for its human rights abuses, will have a hell of a time explaining why those human rights abuses were an outrage when they were in opposition but have become "gallant" now that they are in power. Vicepresident Jose Vicente Rangel continues to deny that there are ANY cases of torture and blames absolutely anyone at all - from the protesters themselves to their mayors - except the people commiting the actual abuses.

Tarek William Saab, clearly having forgotten his brief experience as a political prisoner in 2002, sees no problem with the National Guard abuses, and says it's the guards whose rights are being abused. (Poshitos)

Over the last week, Venezuela has seen multiple, consistent reports of torture (including beatings, electric shocks, the use of harsh skin irritants during interrogations, the use of tear-gas canisters in enclosed spaces) as well as random shootings by state security forces into residential buildings and, at the last count, nine extra-judicial killings in a week.

When brought to task, government spokesmen brazenly blame the victims, explaining they have a plan to destabilize the country and praising the "gallantry" of the armed forces in suppressing them. The victims, needless to say, can rest absolutely assured that their attackers will not be punished for what they've done. That's the chavista way....

There is not one Caricom country which actually believes that these things are actually occurring in Venezuela. Not a one. My reading of the Caribbean press uncovers a great deal of scepticism towards the anti-Chavistas and approval of Chavez as the lawfully elected head of the Venezuelan state. Moreover, these states esteem the word of Chavez higher than that of the U.S. government.