Venezuelan Judge drops strike-related charges, revokes arrest warrants

yahoo.com ^ | March 17, 2003 | AP

[Cincinatus' Wife]

CARACAS, Venezuela - A judge struck down charges against seven former oil executives related to a two-month strike against President Hugo Chavez, lawyers for the executives said Monday.

A Caracas court of appeals also revoked arrest warrants against the executives, who were fired from the state oil monopoly for leading a strike to force Chavez's resignation or early elections, said lawyers Juan Martin Echeveria and Jesus Loreto.

A lower court had charged the seven with interrupting and "damaging the means used to supply" fuel. The appeals court dropped the charges after ruling that the lower court had committed procedural violations, Echeveria told reporters.

The executives went into hiding after the lower court ordered their arrest Feb. 26.

Echeveria said he advised the executives not to emerge from hiding yet because they might be seized by authorities unaware of the appeals' court decision.

Last week, secret police stormed an opposition march in an attempt to arrest Petroleos de Venezuela executive Juan Fernandez, who made a surprise appearance. The police clashed with protesters, and Fernandez escaped.

"We see a light in Venezuela's administration of justice," Echeveria said.

The decision came three days after strike leader Carlos Ortega took refuge the Costa Rican embassy to evade charges of treason, rebellion and instigation. Costa Rica granted Ortega diplomatic asylum, allowing him to stay in the mission.

Ortega, president of Venezuela's largest labor union, is considering seeking territorial asylum in Costa Rica or another country, said his lawyer Omar Estacio. Ortega had gone underground Feb. 20, after a judge ordered his arrest.

Co-strike leader Carlos Fernandez, the head of Venezuela's biggest business chamber, is under house arrest pending charges of rebellion and instigation. A judge struck down a treason charge.

The strike, which petered out last month, cost Venezuela US$6 billion, crippled the world's fifth-largest oil exporting industry and devastated an already fragile economy. But it failed to force Chavez to step down or accept an early vote on his four-year presidency.

Chavez says strike leaders must be punished for inflicting suffering on the population. Opposition leaders say the arrest warrants amount to political persecution.

Chavez foes accuse the former army paratrooper of running roughshod over Venezuela's democratic institutions and steering the economy into recession with leftist policies. Chavez counters his foes are trying to overthrow a democratically elected president out of resentment for his efforts to help the poor.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Hugo Chavez - Venezuela

[Robert_Paulson2]

When can we expect the "bolivian circles/FARC" welcome wagon members to visit these "deplorable" judges?

What's your best bet on these judges survival rate?

Chavez better swallow HARD.
He is lucky he gets a free demonstration of what he is going to be up against PRIOR to his final "I wanna be sadaam" competition with N. Korea's nutcake...

NEXT...

[Robert_Paulson2]

Thanks for keeping this on the stove top, during the Iraq war... ping me as events there unfold..

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Exactly. If I was one of these execs I don't think I'd surface and expose myself to Chavez's henchmen (whom he alternately denies exist or feigns inability to control).

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Chirac is sticking his fat nose into this hemisphere, trying to enlist Brazil in blocking the liberation of Iraq. I have a feeling France is going to continue to be a pain in our side. He will find friendly allies in our backyard Marxists - Chavez, Lula, Castro and Ecuador's new president.

[MonroeDNA]

The brownshirts have returned, bringing a communist dictator to power once again.

Their tactics never change.

Good for the court! I fear for their lives.

[Libertarianize the GOP]

http://www.freerepublic.com/perl/bump-list

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Their tactics never change.

Bump!

[hchutch]

FYI, Poohbah.

Sheesh, someone tell CIA to get cracking on Venezuela.

[Poohbah]

Just don't get the ditzes who were trying to bump off Castro.

[hchutch]

Agreed. Exploding cigars... dear God, how bad could it get?

We need a Bill Casey at CIA ASAP.

[Poohbah]

Actually, we need someone to leave the parrot's head on Chavez's pillow.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Or maybe a ploy to get them to let down their guard.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

... leave the parrot's head on Chavez's pillow.

It's a beginning.

[Cincinatus' Wife]

Bump!

[hchutch]

LOL!

That's a plan. But that will tick off PETA, and Senator Dodd is bad enough...

[Poohbah]

You take care of Senator Dodd by leaving Hugo Chavez's head on HIS pillow :o)

[amused]

In Venezuela, Chavez arresting opposition leaders for staging protests & strikes is an example of a man of the people to the left.

In the United States, anti-Bush protests are met with counter protests and little police action if any and yet Bush is a dictator to the left.

[MonroeDNA]

"Just don't get the ditzes who were trying to bump off Castro. "

He would have been long gone, but Kennedy caved. He was scared.