Posted on 02/23/2003 1:37:31 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
CARACAS, Venezuela - A leading opponent of President Hugo Chavez who helped command a two-month national strike was ordered held under house arrest early Sunday pending further investigations.
Carlos Fernandez, president of the Fedecamaras business chamber, was seized Wednesday at gunpoint by secret police at midnight on five charges including treason, civil rebellion and incitement to commit offenses.
Just over 72 hours later, a judge struck down three of the charges, including treason. The rebellion and incitement charges were upheld, said Pedro Berrizbeitia, one of Fernandez's lawyers.
Venezuelan general strike leader Carlos Fernandez, center, surrounded by secret police officers, arrives at the court building in Caracas, Venezuela, Friday, Feb. 21, 2003. Thousands protested Fernandez's arrest, across the country, and nine people were injured in clashes with police in the central city of Valencia Thursday. (AP Photo/Leslie Mazoch)
Secret police rushed Fernandez, 52, out of the courthouse to be taken to his home in Valencia, 66 miles (110 kilometers) west of Caracas, while proceedings continued against him.
"We are pleased that it has been admitted that Fernandez committed a crime," said Dario Vivas, a pro-Chavez legislator.
Vivas said he would challenge the decision of house arrest, claiming the civil rebellion charge warrants prison while prosecutors formalize the accusations against Fernandez.
The judge's decision was announced at 2 a.m. Sunday, thirteen hours after the hearing began.
Strike co-leader Carlos Ortega remained at large on Sunday. As president of the Venezuelan Workers Confederation labor confederation he partnered Fernandez in spearheading the work stoppage that paralyzed the vital oil industry and devastated the economy.
Strike co-leader Carlos Ortega, center, surrounded by body guards is seen in a file photo of Dec 12, 2002 during a rally of opposition members in Caracas, Venezuela. Carlos Ortega, of the Venezuelan Workers Confederation, was ordered to surrender, also on treason and instigating violence charges, said magistrate Maikel Jose Moreno on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2003.(AP Photo Howard Yanes, File)
Ortega said he was going into hiding after a warrant was issued for his arrest on Thursday.
Chavez has demanded 20-year jail sentences for Fernandez and Ortega, alleging they sabotaged oil installations, incited civil disobedience and trampled Venezuelans' human rights.
The two-month strike caused food and gasoline shortages nationwide and cost Venezuela over US$4 billion.
The United States, the Organization of American States and human rights group Amnesty International voiced concern that Venezuela's crisis is escalating.
Chavez vehemently rebutted the comments. "Venezuela is nobody's colony!" he shouted. "We do not accept and we will not accept outside interference in our own affairs."
The Venezuelan American Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which supported the strike, expressed its support for Fernandez and Ortega on Saturday.
Anti-Chavez lawyers said Fernandez's detention was riddled with irregularities. The arrest warrant was issued by a judge who had acted as defense attorney for Chavez supporters accused of shooting at opposition marchers before an April coup that briefly toppled Chavez.
The case was transferred to a new judge Friday but Saturday's hearing extended well beyond the court's 7 p.m. closing time and Fernandez's 48-hour detention limit.
The hearing was held behind closed doors and under tight security. Tens of soldiers wearing riot gear guarded the Caracas courthouse while a crowd of Chavez supporters waited outside. National guardsmen kept journalists away from the courtroom entrance and Fernandez was closely escorted by secret police officers.
Adding to the day-long tension, one soldier accidentally set off a tear gas canister in the courthouse corridor shortly before midnight Saturday, sending journalists running.
The OAS, the United Nations and the Carter Center, run by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, have sponsored three months of talks to seek an electoral solution to Venezuela's crisis. The future of those talks was in doubt after Fernandez's arrest.
Venezuela's opposition wants early elections and staged the national strike to back its demand. It has also collected more than 4 million signatures petitioning to cut Chavez's term in power. The government dismisses the petition drive and consistently accuses the opposition of "coup-plotting."
Chavez is a former paratrooper who was elected in 1998 and re-elected in 2000 to a six-year term. He vows to distribute Venezuela's oil riches to the poor. Critics accuse him of imposing an authoritarian state and driving the economy into the ground.
Regrettably, President Hugo Chávez, instead of working to heal his badly divided country, seems determined to provoke new and dangerous tensions. Less than two days after government and opposition representatives promised to step back from their confrontation, two of the country's most visible opposition leaders face charges of rebellion, sabotage and a series of other crimes growing out of their leadership of a now faltering national strike.
Carlos Fernández, who leads Venezuela's most important business federation, was arrested early yesterday. Carlos Ortega, the head of the country's main union alliance, has gone into hiding. The vindictive charges against them could undo the modest progress recently made toward a peaceful, constitutional resolution of Venezuela's long-running political crisis.
The strike led by Mr. Fernández and Mr. Ortega aimed at forcing Mr. Chávez from power. The right way to determine Venezuela's political future is through democratic elections. The Constitution devised by Mr. Chávez permits a recall vote this August. Between now and then, all sides should work to calm the inflamed political atmosphere. That seemed possible as recently as Tuesday, when government and opposition representatives issued a joint declaration pledging efforts to promote reconciliation and mutual understanding. Then came the two arrest orders.
Mr. Chávez's opponents were already alarmed by the kidnapping and murder of four anti-Chávez demonstrators, whose bodies were found earlier this week. Police investigators now suggest that the killings were not politically motivated, but the victims' relatives disagree.
It's easy to see why. Earlier this month Mr. Chávez proclaimed this the "year of the revolutionary offensive." He vowed to take retribution against his many enemies, especially the strike leaders. Days later he introduced currency controls, and ominously warned that they could be used as a financial weapon against opposition businessmen. The state oil company has permanently dismissed thousands of striking workers.
These steps threaten to overwhelm the compromise proposals put forth by Jimmy Carter after a mediation mission last month. His ideas drew positive responses from both sides and encouragement from Washington. The centerpiece of the package was a recall vote or new elections after August. Preliminary steps called for the opposition to end its strike and for the government to refrain from reprisals. That remains good advice. Unfortunately, Mr. Chávez, having all but vanquished the strike, no longer seems to be listening.[End]
When that bright day comes, then freedom fighter patriots like Mr. Fernández and Mr. Ortega will be the new leaders of democratic, beautiful Venezuela.
Proof?: Just look at the vermin he has brought into Venezuela, from the Cuban secret police runing the National Police and Military, to the Libyans he is briniging in to run the oil industry.
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