On the one-year anniversary of his imprisonment, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) declares Rubén González a prisoner of conscience and demands his immediate release.González, 51, a Venezuelan union leader, was imprisoned after he led a 15-day strike calling for the state-owned CVG Ferrominera Orinoco C.A. (Ferrominera) corporation, to fulfill a labor agreement. HRF’s declaration was accompanied by the publication of a legal report that concludes that González was accused, detained, imprisoned and prosecuted exclusively for exercising his right to freedom of association for labor purposes. His is the seventh case in HRF’s Caracas Nine campaign.
The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) published a report today detailing the case of Gustavo Azócar, a journalist and university professor in the state of Táchira who, since 2000, has been the target of a criminal investigation fraught with violations of his fundamental rights. His is the sixth case in HRF’s “Caracas Nine” campaign.
CARACAS, Venezuela - The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) published a report today detailing the arrest and torture of Jose Humberto Quintero, a lieutenant colonel of the Venezuelan National Guard. Quintero was detained in January 2005, by the Venezuelan government for allegedly capturing terrorist leader Ricardo Gonzalez, popularly known as Rodrigo Granda, of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC).
NEW YORK -- The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) released a report today detailing the case of Marta Colomina, a Venezuelan journalist and academic who has faced death threats and several attempts on her life over the past five years. Her case exposes the Venezuelan government’s persecution of independent journalists and continued assault on freedom of expression. Colomina is the fourth case in HRF’s Caracas Nine campaign.
NEW YORK -- Embattled Venezuelan student leader Yon Goicoechea is the fourth recipient of the Cato Institute’s Milton Friedman Prize for Advancing Liberty. Last November, Mr. Goicoechea was chosen by the Human Rights Foundation as one of nine illustrative cases of human rights violations occurring in Venezuela. He became Number Two of the Caracas Nine.
An editorial by HRF President Thor Halvorssen on the shooting of Monica Fernandez, a Venezuelan human rights advocate, was published by Pajamas Media, a news website that provides exclusive news and opinion 24/7 in text, video and podcast from correspondents in over forty countries.
CARACAS, Venezuela -- Employees and directors of Globovisión, Venezuela’s only remaining independent 24-hour news and information channel, have survived more than five years of attacks and death threats for exercising their free speech. The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) released a report this week detailing human rights violations against the people who work for the TV station.
Globovisión general manager Alberto Federico Ravell and his 430 colleagues are the third case in HRF’s Caracas Nine project.
CARACAS, Venezuela -- Monica Fernandez, former judge and one of the leaders of the Foro Penal Venezolano, was shot Saturday afternoon in circumstances that, prior to a full investigation, the government of Venezuela has declared a “car robbery.” Ms. Fernandez directs the Venezuelan research division of the Human Rights Foundation (HRF).
Ms. Fernandez was kidnapped and shot at point-blank range while loading her car with plants she had bought with her fiancé, Javier Herrera. Mr. Herrera, a police officer, was shot five times while trying to prevent the attack. Mr. Herrera killed one of the aggressors; the other drove off with Ms. Fernandez. He later released her and left the car parked nearby. Both Ms. Fernandez and Mr. Herrera are hospitalized in Caracas.
- Read HRF's press release here.
CARACAS, Venezuela -- At 7:30 p.m. on December 24, 2007 in Caracas, Venezuela, the Human Rights Foundation's first political prisoner and prisoner of conscience, Franciso Usón, was freed by the judge presiding over appeals in his case.
Usón, a retired army general and former cabinet minister in the government of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, was sentenced to five-and-a-half years of prison in a maximum security jail for having uttered a statement expressing concern for human rights.
CARACAS, Venezuela -- Yon Goicoechea, the leader of the student-led protest movement in Venezuela, has survived numerous physical assaults at the hands of police and supporters of Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez. The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) released a report today detailing specific instances of human rights violations in the case of Goicoechea and the student movement in general.
Goicoechea’s case is part of HRF’s “Caracas Nine” campaign, designed to promote awareness of human rights abuses and to seek legal protection for individuals persecuted and endangered by the government of Venezuela.
The student movement spans all of the largest universities in Venezuela and has consistently engaged in peaceful protest. The student protests focus their attention on human rights, specifically the rights to freedom of speech and to freedom of assembly.
Goicoechea became the leader of the pro-democracy student movement that emerged in late May of 2007, when the president of Venezuela ordered the government not to renew the broadcast license of television station RCTV, triggering mass street protests.
Government officials and President Chávez himself have created a climate of hostility surrounding the dissenting students, attacking them publicly and on national television. Government officials and members of the government party have openly called for the use of violence against the student protestors. An unknown number of students (numbering no less than 200) have been detained and arrested since the student protests began in May. Photojournalists from several international agencies have captured images of the violence used against the student protestors since November 1.
Beyond the instances of violence which have resulted in physical injury, the government has used tear gas against Goicoechea and the other students. Goicoechea and his family are threatened and harassed on a daily basis. He has expressed to HRF concern for his safety and for that of his family, and is worried that he could be falsely accused by the Public Prosecutor’s office—a tactic commonly used by the Venezuelan government to intimidate and harass dissenters.
HRF is an international nonpartisan organization devoted to defending human rights in the American hemisphere. It centers its work on the twin concepts of freedom of self-determination and freedom from tyranny. These ideals include the belief that all human beings have the rights to speak freely, to associate with those of like mind, and to leave and enter their countries. Individuals in a free society must be accorded equal treatment and due process under law, and must have the opportunity to participate in the governments of their countries; HRF’s ideals likewise find expression in the conviction that all human beings have the right to be free from arbitrary detainment or exile and from interference and coercion in matters of conscience. HRF’s International Council includes former prisoners of conscience Vladimir Bukovsky, Palden Gyatso, Armando Valladares, Ramón J. Velásquez, Elie Wiesel, and Harry Wu.
Read the report on Yon Goicoechea here.
As part of the first case of political prosecution highlighted by the Human Rights Foundation for the Caracas Nine project, HRF declares its absolute disapproval and profound concern with the fact that Francisco Usón was not released today as had been previously promised to him. Usón has been in detention since May 22, 2004. He was convicted for slandering the armed forces and sentenced to five years and six months in prison. Last year, HRF adopted him as a political prisoner and prisoner of conscience. Usón has fulfilled three quarters of his sentence and has worked as professor while in prison, satisfying all of the requirements for a commutation of his sentence, which should have occurred today, November 7, 2007. HRF calls upon Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez to order the implementation of the judicial order commuting Usón’s sentence. It is a human rights violation to deny Usón a right that he is entitled to by the law.
Statements by Uson’s wife and his lawyer (in Spanish): http://www.noticierodigital.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=282213
NEW YORK -- The Fenwicks, a third wave ska band, have joined forces with New York-based Human Rights Foundation (HRF) to draw attention to political persecution in Latin America—specifically, the cases of nine individuals in Venezuela: the Caracas Nine. The Fenwicks are reuniting as one of the opening acts on Boston based ska band Big D and the Kids Table with its Fall Tour starting this Sunday, October 28 at the Knitting Factory in New York and ending November 2 at Studio A in Miami.
“It is inspiring that a group of artists is willing to donate so much of their time and energy to educate and highlight the forgotten victims of political persecution in Latin America. We support and applaud their efforts and are most excited about their ability to reach out to tens of thousands of young people with this message,” said Thor Halvorssen, president of HRF.
The Caracas Nine campaign is designed to raise awareness about human rights abuses taking place in Venezuela. The project focuses on nine individuals whose human rights have been violated by the government of President Hugo Chávez. Their cases reflect the growing and systematic crisis that affects Venezuelan civil society.
The first of the Nine, Francisco Usón, is serving a five-and-a-half year prison sentence for expressing concern about human rights violations during a television interview. The Caracas Nine include survivors of discrimination, censorship, intimidation, torture, false arrest, and imprisonment. HRF provides extensive research and a documented report on each case. “We wish to humanize the terrible price being paid by those who dissent from the government of Venezuela. By putting a human face on what is occurring we hope to encourage individuals, organizations, and governments who respect civil liberties to shoulder their responsibility and take action,” said Halvorssen.
The Fenwicks were once one of the East Coast’s most beloved and most popular live acts. Critics have described The Fenwicks as a “manic cross between Madness and The Marx Brothers.” Steven Schub, the lead singer of the band, works as a television actor in hit shows NYPD Blue and 24. Schub explained the alliance with HRF: “I read about the work HRF was doing, most especially on behalf of political prisoners being held by the Chávez government in Venezuela—prisoners like Francisco Usón who is in jail simply for exercising his freedom of speech. We are deeply committed to doing whatever we can to bring attention to the issue of individual rights and the work of HRF. We are honored and thrilled.”
HRF is an international nonpartisan organization devoted to defending human rights in the American hemisphere. It centers its work on the twin concepts of freedom of self-determination and freedom from tyranny. These ideals include the belief that all human beings have the rights to speak freely, to associate with those of like mind, and to leave and enter their countries. Individuals in a free society must be accorded equal treatment and due process under law, and must have the opportunity to participate in the governments of their countries; HRF’s ideals likewise find expression in the conviction that all human beings have the right to be free from arbitrary detainment or exile and from interference and coercion in matters of conscience. HRF’s International Council includes former prisoners of conscience Vladimir Bukovsky, Palden Gyatso, Armando Valladares, Ramón J. Velásquez, Elie Wiesel, and Harry Wu.
Get more information about The Fenwicks’ Caracas Nine tour here.
Read an article about The Fenwicks from their Warped Tour appearance here.
Read the report on Francisco Usón here.