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patrickt
11-15-2012, 08:29 AM
"The U.S. was elected to a second term on the U.N.'s Human Rights Council on Monday.Venezuela also secured a position on the council, which means Obama administration officials will now be working side by side on Human Rights' issues with officials from the government of Hugo Chavez, the Latin American leader who said he wished he could have voted for Obama."
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/11/13/U-S-and-Venezuela-Elected-To-U-N-Human-Rights-Council

Now, when President Obama finishes visiting his bunk buddies in Russia he can stop by Venezuela to see how he can implement Hugo Chavez' views on human rights in the U.S.

Mainecoons
11-15-2012, 08:46 AM
Hey, Hugo stands in awe of Barry. I'll bet there wasn't a single precinct in Venezuela that gave him 100 percent of the vote.

And I do mean "gave." :rofl:

waltky
05-31-2016, 11:57 PM
Venezuela may get kicked outta OAS...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/confused.gif
OAS chief calls for emergency meeting to evaluate Venezuela
May 31,`16 -- The head of the Organization of American States called Tuesday for an emergency meeting of regional governments to evaluate Venezuela's respect for democracy, a move that could lead to the country's suspension from the hemispheric body. President Maduro responded by saying he would take action against his country's opposition-controlled Congress.


OAS Secretary General Luis Almagro said Venezuela had suffered "grave alterations of democratic order" and called for a vote on the matter in the coming weeks, possibly to coincide with the group's annual meeting next month in the Dominican Republic. Socialist-ruled Venezuela could be suspended from the Washington-based OAS if two-thirds of its 34 member states voted that the country's leadership has gravely undermined democracy. The last time that occurred was in 2009, when Honduras was suspended following the military's removal of President Manuel Zelaya.

Almagro has been feuding with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who responded Tuesday by calling for a "national rebellion" to fight what he said is international aggression. Maduro said Almagro had overstepped his authority and undermined the very principles of the OAS by trying to dictate policies to a sovereign nation. "Almagro, stick your democratic charter wherever it fits. Venezuela must be respected," Maduro told a rally of transport workers who support the government. Maduro has accused Almagro of working with Venezuela's opposition and the U.S. government to undermine his administration. Almagro has called Maduro a petty dictator.

Venezuela's opposition-controlled congress formally asked for OAS intervention earlier this month. On Tuesday, Maduro threatened to take action against the institution, accusing it of committing treason by meddling in the country's international affairs. Tensions have been building in deeply polarized Venezuela as the economy continues to fall apart and the ruling party blocks the opposition from legislating in congress and holding marches in downtown Caracas.

The country saw weeks of bloody street protests in 2014 followed by formal talks between the two sides, which broke down and were never reinitiated. Last week, a group of former presidents held secret meetings in the Dominican Republic with Venezuelan officials and Maduro's opponents. The two sides did not meet face-to-face, but the fact that the mediators passed messages between them was major news in Venezuela.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_VENEZUELA_OAS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-05-31-19-44-22

Mac-7
06-01-2016, 01:12 AM
Venezuela may get kicked outta OAS...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/confused.gif
OAS chief calls for emergency meeting to evaluate Venezuela
May 31,`16 -- The head of the Organization of American States called Tuesday for an emergency meeting of regional governments to evaluate Venezuela's respect for democracy, a move that could lead to the country's suspension from the hemispheric body. President Maduro responded by saying he would take action against his country's opposition-controlled Congress.

Venezuela has a congress that stands up to the president?

what a novel idea.

maybe our congress should at least consider doing the same thing here.

donttread
06-01-2016, 06:47 AM
Venezuela may get kicked outta OAS...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/confused.gif
OAS chief calls for emergency meeting to evaluate Venezuela
May 31,`16 -- The head of the Organization of American States called Tuesday for an emergency meeting of regional governments to evaluate Venezuela's respect for democracy, a move that could lead to the country's suspension from the hemispheric body. President Maduro responded by saying he would take action against his country's opposition-controlled Congress.

But of course no one will dare challenge the DNC's sham primaries as being a slap in the face to democracy.

waltky
07-15-2016, 04:57 AM
Mebbe we should send `em some food?...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/confused.gif
Report: Protests in Venezuela up 24 percent; most over food
July 14, 2016 -- There has been a 24 percent increase in protests -- roughly 19 demonstrations a day -- throughout Venezuela in which six people have died in the first half of 2016 when compared to last year, according to a report by the Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict.


The local non-governmental organization on Wednesday reported 3,057 protests have been recorded in Venezuela within the first six months of 2016. The figure does not include 416 incidents of looting or attempted looting nationwide. About 27 percent of protests in the first part of 2016 were related to food shortages.

The Venezuelan Observatory of Social Conflict, or OVCS, said the six deaths occurred during protests over food. "In these six months the Venezuelan streets have been the scene of many massive demonstrations to demand the human right to food," the OVCS writes in the report. "The government's response to these protests has been repression."


http://cdnph.upi.com/sv/b/i/UPI-2511468510611/2016/1/14685138503882/Report-Protests-in-Venezuela-up-24-percent-most-over-food.jpg


About 24 percent of protests were to "demand basic services in residential dwellings," the OVCS said. Water shortages, electricity blackouts, and little to no Internet or phone services have affected millions of Venezuelans. Eighteen percent of protests were held over labor rights, while 15 percent of protests were held over crime.

Venezuela has one of the highest murder rates in the world, which is estimated to be up to one killing for every 28,000 people. About 10 percent of protests were related to politics while 6 percent were related to education rights. In 2014, at least 43 people were killed during protests against the country's rise in crime, shortages in stores and triple-digit inflation.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/07/14/Report-Protests-in-Venezuela-up-24-percent-most-over-food/2511468510611/?spt=sec&or=tn

See also:

Vital bridge in Venezuela could collapse as cars keep falling off, politician warns
July 14, 2016 -- A National Assembly member of Venezuela's Carabobo state has warned the La Cabrera viaduct, one of the South American country's most vital bridge-tunnels, is in danger of collapsing after several deadly incidents.


Williams Gil, who also serves as president of the unicameral parliament's Standing Committee on the Family, on Thursday said a 2013 restoration of the viaduct was a "great scam." At the time, the Venezuelan Ministry of Land Transportation said the lifespan of the viaduct would be extended by 75 years. "In 2013, they 'rehabilitated' the La Cabrera viaduct. Just three years later, we realize the great scam which that work represented," Gil said in a statement. "It is extremely alarming that in less than a month, four vehicles have fallen off of the viaduct." Gil said potholes are persistent on the stretch of road and steel rods are visible in some sections. There are no guardrails in some areas, which has been the main cause of cars falling off after drivers lose control when trying to maneuver their vehicle to avoid potholes.


http://cdnph.upi.com/sv/b/i/UPI-7061468506019/2016/1/14685074389563/Vital-bridge-in-Venezuela-could-collapse-as-cars-keep-falling-off-politician-warns.jpg
Venezuela's La Cabrera bridge-tunnel, considered one of the most important transport routes in the country, has had dangerous infrastructure problems on its viaduct, according to a National Assembly member who warns that if the viaduct collapses his state of Carabobo will be in "solitary confinement."

La Cabrera bridge-tunnel connects the Venezuelan state of Carabobo with the state of Aragua. Gil said it is the most important road in the country as thousands of vehicles travel on it each day, particularly cargo trucks that carry products from the docks of the city of Puerto Cabello to the rest of the country. "We alert of a possible collapse of the La Cabrera viaduct for lack of maintenance," Gil said. "In the National Assembly, we will investigate the causes of the permanent deterioration." Puerto Cabello is one of five ports that was taken over by the Venezuelan military this week as part of "war strategies" to provide food and medicine carried out by President Nicolas Maduro amid the country's economic crisis.


http://cdnph.upi.com/sv/b/i/UPI-7061468506019/2016/2/14685074364997/Vital-bridge-in-Venezuela-could-collapse-as-cars-keep-falling-off-politician-warns.jpg

In January 2006, the Caracas-La Guaira viaduct was closed by the Venezuelan government under former President Hugo Chávez. A large section of the vital bridge collapsed about two months later. The collapse partially isolated Caracas from much of the country until a replacement viaduct was opened in June 2007. "If the viaduct collapses, we'll be in solitary confinement. Lack of maintenance takes its toll, as it happened with ... the Caracas-La Guaira viaduct," Gil warned, adding that it could cost an estimated $4 million to repair the viaduct.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/07/14/Vital-bridge-in-Venezuela-could-collapse-as-cars-keep-falling-off-politician-warns/7061468506019/?spt=mps&or=1&sn=tn_int

Peter1469
07-15-2016, 05:05 AM
The socialist paradise is performing as expected.

waltky
07-15-2016, 09:38 AM
Venezuelan military had big role in economic woes...
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Analysis: Venezuelan military had big role in economic woes
Jul 15,`16 -- President Nicolas Maduro's announcement this week that the military will lead the battle against widespread food shortages overlooks one key fact: The armed forces have played a big role in Venezuela's economic mess.


Since Maduro took office in 2013, he has named a number of active and retired generals to run the economy. All five of his food ministers who manage one of the government's largest budgets have come from the armed forces. And they in turn have placed dozens of their military cohorts to lead everything from a state-run chain of supermarkets to an agency overseeing food imports. None of those moves, however, can match the scope of Maduro's promotion this week of Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino to head what is called the Great Mission of Sovereign Supply.

The goal is to boost production and guarantee the smooth distribution of food in the face of what Maduro sees as economic sabotage by his opponents. As part of the overhaul, all ministries will take orders from Padrino, and the nation's ports will fall under the "total control" of the military. That has led some to compare the move to a discreet power grab by the armed forces, the historical arbiter of Venezuela's political disputes.

Venezuelans caught their first glimpse of the initiative in images broadcast Wednesday on state TV showing uniformed officers inspecting chicken plants and studying delivery orders for a large shipment of vegetable oil. "We're going to defeat this economic war because there's political will, from the people's power and the armed forces," said Gen. Pedro Alvarez while carrying out the inspection near the capital. But despite the media blitz, little has changed for most Venezuelans.

MORE (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_VENEZUELA_MILITARY_ANALYSIS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2016-07-15-00-02-31)

Tahuyaman
07-15-2016, 10:59 AM
The socialist paradise is performing as expected.

But who's expectations? Certainly leftists had different expectations.

waltky
07-31-2016, 02:53 PM
UNICEF says to put the children first...
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UNICEF calls for Venezuelan children, teens to be focus of crisis solution
July 29, 2016 -- UNICEF has called on the Venezuelan government to prioritize the needs of children and teenagers amid a crippling economic crisis that has led to shortages of food and medicine.


"UNICEF calls for any dialogue, as well as any action of the state and of society, to have the best interest of the child and the absolute priority of children at its core," UNICEF said in a statement following U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon's call for dialogue between the administration of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, the political opposition and non-governmental organizations to create solutions.

Basic goods, food and medicines have been missing from store shelves throughout Venezuela, a country dependent on oil revenues to fuel its socialist system. Low oil prices have exacerbated an economic recession to the point the government has struggled to pay back debts. Venezuela this year has sold at least $1.7 billion in gold reserves to pay debts, which has decreased the South American country's gold reserves to the lowest level on record.

The basic goods shortages have led some Venezuelans to cross the borders into Colombia and Guyana to purchase items. "UNICEF shares the concerns demonstrated by national authorities of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and relevant social sectors about the consequences of the current circumstances for children and adolescents in the country," UNICEF added. "UNICEF joins the U.N. Secretary General´s call for a dialogue between the sectors able to bring meaningful and practical solutions to society, and welcomes the integration of new actors to facilitate such a process."

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/07/29/UNICEF-calls-for-Venezuelan-children-teens-to-be-focus-of-crisis-solution/5561469800286/?spt=sec&or=tn

Peter1469
07-31-2016, 03:16 PM
Well that is the problem. The government has tried to manage the economy. Look what it got them.

The UN should as the government to get the heck out of the way.

waltky
09-14-2016, 06:57 AM
Venezuelan gov't. persecuting journalists...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/icon_omg.gif
Venezuelan Govt. Continues to Harass Press Amid Worsening Human Rights Crisis
September 13, 2016 – The Venezuelan journalist Braulio Jatar, jailed after he reportedly posted a video online of a confrontation between angry citizens and President Nicolas Maduro, could face a long time behind bars as the human rights crisis in the country worsens, according to an Amnesty International official.


“There is a high risk he will remain in detention,” Erika Guevara-Rosas, the group’s Americas director, told CNSNews.com. The Maduro government has “co-opted” the judiciary to attack its opponents, she said, noting that students detained after anti-government protests last year were still sitting in jail awaiting trial. “We are very concerned that we are seeing another case of someone who is being detained for politically motivated reasons,” Guevara-Rosas said. “The detention of opposition leaders is putting the country in a very serious human rights crisis.” “The situation is very critical given the humanitarian crisis the country is facing.” Jatar, director of the news website Reporte Confidencial (Confidential Report) on Margarita Island, was seized Sept. 3 by the Venezuelan intelligence service and accused of money laundering, according to the Inter American Press Association (IAPA).

Authorities arrested Jatar on his way to work a day after a large crowd of angry citizens banging pots and pans confronted and then chased Maduro as he left an official event on foot in the island’s small town of Villa Rosa. According to Foreign Policy, Jatar posted online a video of the confrontation which he had filmed on his cell phone. The government initially denied it had detained Jatar, finally acknowledging his arrest 12 hours after he was secretly transferred from Margarita to a jail in Caracas, Guevara-Rosas said. His family and lawyers still do not have physical access to him and there’s a “question mark as to what is going to happen,” she added. Jatar holds both Chilean and Venezuelan citizenship, and the Chilean government demanded that the authorities reveal his location and respect “minimal norms,” the BBC reported. Brazil also condemned his detention, calling it a “clear” failure by Maduro’s government to respect fundamental liberties.

While Jatar remains in custody, 30 people arrested following the confrontation with Maduro on Margarita have all been released, the BBC reported. Jatar’s arrest follows a longstanding pattern of harassing journalists and denying freedom of expression that began when Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chavez, was first elected in 1999, according to Ricardo Trotti, executive director of the Inter American Press Association. “This is not new. It’s been like this since the beginning of the Chavismo era,” Trotti said by phone from Miami. “It’s not getting worse, because it’s always been like that,” he said. According to the IAPA, the Maduro government denied entry to numerous foreign journalists seeking to cover a massive Sept. 1 march in Caracas organized by the opposition, including reporters from NPR, the Miami Herald, Al Jazeera and the French newspaper Le Monde.

IAPA said the Colombian television broadcaster NTN24 “complained that its news, technical and production team in Venezuela has received verbal threats from self-styled ‘pro-government collectives.’” The publishers of the Venezuelan newspapers El Nacional, Tal Cual, and LaPatilla were all convicted of defamation after reporting that the president of Venezuela's National Assembly was being investigated by U.S. authorities for drug trafficking, according to Trotti. El Nacional publisher Miguel Otero is in self-exile in Miami. “He knows he is going to be arrested and thinks he doesn’t have any chance with the judicial system” in Venezuela, Trotti said, describing Venezuela as “one of the worst Latin American countries” for journalists. In Mexico, Trotti said, the problem is censorship enforced by organized crime. In Venezuela, it’s the state. “That’s the big difference between the two.”

http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/mark-browne/venezuelan-govt-continues-harass-press-amid-worsening-human-rights-crisis

donttread
09-14-2016, 07:24 PM
Deflection again. If we concentrate on human rights abuses elsewhere we don't have to clean up our own shit. The problem is hypocrits always get outed.

waltky
11-03-2016, 12:41 AM
Let `em eat cake...
:rollseyes:
Venezuela Telling Hungry City Dwellers To Grow Their Own Food
November 1, 2016 • Some Venezuelan city dwellers are trying to grow their own produce to offset the country's severe shortages following socialist President Nicolas Maduro's calls for "food sovereignty."


But in a country where families are going hungry as a result of government mismanagement and sky-high inflation, many view the "Great Agro-Venezuela Mission" with skepticism. "Agriculture shouldn't be a solution" to the country's shortages, said former landowner Iraima Pacheco de Leandro, 54, a well-to-do government opponent who lives in Caracas.

Critics have taken to social media to accuse the government of downplaying the country's critical situation, and ridicule Maduro for trying to solve Venezuela's dire food crisis through getting urbanites to farm small plots of land. "Urban Farming in Venezuela. Thanks to @Nicolas Maduro" read one tweet accompanied by a photograph of a man and a dog sifting through trash, a common sight in Caracas as food supplies dwindle and black market prices soar. "BBC Venezuela report has Chavistas explaining how they're going to feed people, grow medicine, through urban farming. No, really," mocked another Twitter user.

When the project was presented in February, the newly created Ministry of Urban Agriculture announced that 12,000 square kilometers - about 4,600 square miles - would be planted in the first 100 days. The government promised to invest $300,000 in seeds, equipment and educational projects, and to help with logistics. The government urged citizens to plant in every available space - private terraces, communal areas, jails and schools, among other sites - but did not itself provide the land.


http://www.trbimg.com/img-5818c8d8/turbine/ct-venezuela-food-shortage-20161101-002/600/600x338
A woman buys goods at a supermarket in Caracas

Eight months into the project, only 21 square kilometers (about 8 square miles) of land have been cultivated, according to the ministry. "How are you going to tell someone with no space for a plot to grow [their own food]?" asked de Leandro, whose family-owned farm was expropriated, like many other businesses, under former president Hugo Chavez's nationalization program.

Some Venezuelans try to look on the bright side of the experiment: Producing their own food can reduce the time spent on the streets of Caracas, where crime is skyrocketing. For de Leandro, who was once kidnapped for ransom, this is a comforting thought. She grows a stunning array of vegetables on one of her terraces. But not all Caraquenians have enough land to cultivate produce, and water is also in short supply due to a drought.

MORE (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-venezuela-food-shortage-20161101-story.html)

See also:

Pets starved, abandoned as Venezuela economic crisis deepens
7 Sept.`16 - Carlos Parra used to love waking up to see his pet albino boxer, Nina. Now, seeing her skeletal body on the floor next to his bed has become a daily reminder of the economic crisis engulfing Venezuela.


His other dog's thick fur barely hides her ribcage as Parra struggles to feed his pets after losing his job at a shoe store. "It's terrible to sit and eat, see them watching me with hunger, and not be able to do anything," said the 30-year-old. As Venezuela's economic crunch worsens, food shortages and rising poverty are forcing once middle-class Venezuelans to do the unthinkable: let their pets starve or abandon them in the streets. No figures are available, but activists and veterinarians say they are seeing a growing number of dogs and cats abandoned at parks, shelters, and private clinics.


http://www.trbimg.com/img-57d0cf15/turbine/ct-venezuela-pets-2-20160907/600/600x338
An abandoned dog so skinny his ribcage is visible waits to be fed at the private shelter Funasissi, in the working-class Caracas neighborhood of El Junquito, Venezuela

In Caracas it has become common to see purebred dogs rummaging in the trash or lying outdoors, filthy and gaunt, in posh neighborhoods. The animal protection and control center in the capital's Baruta neighborhood saw as many as 10 animals abandoned each day this summer, head veterinarian Russer Rios said. Up to about a year ago there were almost none. "Now people just leave them here because they can't take care of them," Rios said.


http://www.trbimg.com/img-57d0cf5c/turbine/ct-venezuela-pets-3-20160907/600/600x338
Three rescued cats watch from the top of a fridge as their food is prepared at the private shelter Funasissi, in the working-class Caracas neighborhood of El Junquito, Venezuela

Shelters are running classes teaching pet owners to look for food substitutes in the hopes of helping them maintain their pets through the crisis. At one private shelter in the working-class Caracas neighborhood of El Junquito, a popular alternative for dogs that would never have been considered in better times is chickenfeed. "We have to give it to them because there's nothing else," Katty Quintas, a part owner of the Funasissi shelter, said as three skinny cats looked on hungrily from the top of a refrigerator. The shelter is now home to more than 200 cats and dogs.


http://www.trbimg.com/img-57d0cec1/turbine/ct-venezuela-pets-20160907/600/600x338
Abandoned dogs gather for feeding time at the private shelter Funasissi, in the working-class Caracas neighborhood of El Junquito, Venezuela

One of the country's largest animal shelters is run by Mission Nevado, a government program set up by socialist President Nicolas Maduro and named in honor of independence hero Simon Bolivar's four-legged sidekick, dubbed "Nevado" for its white, snow-like fur. Program veterinarian Angel Mancilla said the shelter, which currently houses about 100 cats and dogs, has collapsed under the influx. "We're crying every day. You leave each day feeling traumatized," Mancilla said. Pet owners say the price of dog food has more than doubled in recent months to $2 a pound, more than a day's pay for those earning the minimum wage.

MORE (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/ct-venezuela-pets-starving-20160907-story.html)

patrickt
11-03-2016, 09:15 AM
Deflection again. If we concentrate on human rights abuses elsewhere we don't have to clean up our own $#@!. The problem is hypocrits always get outed.

Speaking of deflection. Neither irony nor hypocrisy is dead. The reality is hypocrites out themselves, don't they?

waltky
11-16-2016, 12:33 AM
Granny says, "Dat's right - da fix is in... Venezuela's high court forbids parliament from holding Maduro trial Nov. 15, 2016 -- Venezuela's high court on Tuesday approved an injunction filed by Attorney General Reinaldo Muñoz against the opposition-controlled National Assembly.
Supreme Tribunal of Justice, or TSJ, through its Constitutional Hall, issued the injunction -- or recurso de amparo -- that opposition parliamentarians refrain from carrying out a proposed "political judgment" against President Nicolas Maduro or any other act deemed "unconstitutional."
http://cdnph.upi.com/sv/b/upi_com/UPI-3241479227989/2016/1/362fe3c251dc96df56d7819d57d31bb0/Venezuelas-high-court-forbids-parliament-from-holding-Maduro-trial.jpg The TSJ's ruling comes after the Democratic Unity Roundtable opposition coalition vowed this week to bring Maduro to trial. The National Assembly in late October said Maduro would stand trial -- a symbolic trial that was later delayed -- after the opposition's efforts to carry out a recall referendum were suspended by the National Electoral Council, which is accused, along with the TSJ, of favoring Maduro. The opposition lawmakers said Maduro staged a coup d'etat by ordering unconstitutional actions, referring to the suspension of the referendum. Muñoz last week said the National Assembly's assertion that Maduro staged an unconstitutional coup d'etat and its intent to make Maduro stand trial are grounds for legal repercussions -- prompting him to file the now-approved injunction. Despite the TSJ's ruling, the opposition said it will continue with the trial. Maduro was asked to attend the trial in Caracas's Federal Legislative Palace in person to face the unicameral legislature's charges before it was delayed. "Absolutely null the new decision by the 'TSJ Unconstitutional Hall' declaring cautious favor for Maduro promoted by the cheap attorney general of the republic," Henry Ramos Allup, leader of Venezuela's National Assembly legislature, said in a statement. "'TSJ Unconstitutional Hall,' fraudulent, designed to violate the Constitution, may give instructions to its gangs of minions but not to the National Assembly elected by the people." http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/11/15/Venezuelas-high-court-forbids-parliament-from-holding-Maduro-trial/3241479227989/?spt=sec&or=tn See also: Maduro asks Obama to take back calling Venezuela a national security threat Nov. 14, 2016 -- Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has called on U.S. President Barack Obama to revoke a decree in which he called the South American country's situation a "threat to the national security and foreign policy of the United States."
During his weekly television program Sunday, Maduro said Venezuela will once again formally petition Obama to repeal the decree. Maduro said he will bring up the matter with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. "President Obama, you can win the admiration of the people of Venezuela if you have the courage to sign a decree repealing that infamous decree that says our beloved homeland Venezuela is a threat to the United States," Maduro said. In March 2015, Obama signed an executive order declaring a national emergency to protect human rights and democratic institutions in Venezuela and to protect the U.S. financial system from illicit capital flows from the country. The executive order also imposed sanctions against seven Venezuelan officials.
http://cdnph.upi.com/sv/b/i/UPI-2731479144418/2016/1/14791471384164/Maduro-asks-Obama-to-take-back-calling-Venezuela-a-national-security-threat.jpg Maduro said the decree, which was extended in March, is "an atrocity that I hope Barack Obama corrects before he leaves office." Venezuela is facing an ongoing economic and political crisis under Maduro's leadership. In September, Kerry and Maduro met in Colombia. Though the officials did not reveal what they discussed, Kerry said that the Obama administration is "deeply concerned about events in Venezuela," but added that, "We want to be constructive. We are not looking for conflict." In a positive note between U.S. and Venezuelan relations, Obama sent Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas A. Shannon, Jr. to Caracas earlier this month to aid in mediation efforts during negotiations between Maduro's regime and the opposition. "Ambassador Shannon will meet with senior government officials, members of the political opposition, and representatives of civil society," the U.S. Department of State said in a statement. "His visit will underscore our support for the ongoing dialogue process, and our interest in the well-being of the Venezuelan people." http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2016/11/14/Maduro-asks-Obama-to-take-back-calling-Venezuela-a-national-security-threat/2731479144418/?spt=sec&or=tn

patrickt
11-16-2016, 07:09 AM
Deflection again. If we concentrate on human rights abuses elsewhere we don't have to clean up our own $#@!. The problem is hypocrits always get outed.

In the U.S., the media is loathe to "out" hypocrites on the left. She share the dream of Venzuela or Cuba or North Korea in the former U.S.

I have sympathy with the people of Venezuela. I hope they don't let the U.S. stifle their efforts to clean up the mess. President Obama and his party have been staunch supporters of the leftists in Venezuela.

But, remembering the OP, only the UN would see Venezuela and Cuba and Libya as appropriate champions for human rights.

donttread
11-16-2016, 08:45 AM
"The U.S. was elected to a second term on the U.N.'s Human Rights Council on Monday.

Venezuela also secured a position on the council, which means Obama administration officials will now be working side by side on Human Rights' issues with officials from the government of Hugo Chavez, the Latin American leader who said he wished he could have voted for Obama."
http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Peace/2012/11/13/U-S-and-Venezuela-Elected-To-U-N-Human-Rights-Council

Now, when President Obama finishes visiting his bunk buddies in Russia he can stop by Venezuela to see how he can implement Hugo Chavez' views on human rights in the U.S.

Who will be helping whom? Especially when it comes to the rights of a citizen to get high with THEIR substance of choice, whether said substance is produced by megacorps or not

waltky
01-23-2017, 09:20 PM
U.S. Congress proposes sanctions for Venezuela corruption...
http://www.politicalforum.com/images/smilies/icon_cool.gif
US lawmakers propose sanctions for Venezuela food corruption
Jan 23,`17 -- Venezuelan officials may face U.S. sanctions for profiting from food shortages that have exacerbated hunger in the South American country.


The calls by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle come in response to an Associated Press investigation that found trafficking in hard-to-find food has become big business in Venezuela, with the military at the heart of the graft. Embattled socialist President Nicolas Maduro has given the military increasingly broad control over the food supply as shortages have led to widespread malnutrition this year. "When the military is profiting off of food distribution while the Venezuelan people increasingly starve, corruption has reached a new level of depravity that cannot go unnoticed," said Democratic Sen. Ben Cardin of Maryland, the ranking member of the Foreign Relations Committee.

The AP report published last month detailed a chain of dirty dealing by the military, including kickbacks to generals for food contracts and bribes to move food out of the port. Some of the food is purchased in the U.S. and some of the bribes passed through the U.S. banking system. U.S. prosecutors are investigating senior Venezuelan officials, including members of the military, for laundering riches from food contracts through the U.S. financial system, the AP learned from four people with direct knowledge of the probes. No charges have been brought.


http://hosted.ap.org/photos/A/ae6fa5356abb438396e78018040d8601_0-big.jpg
New government cargo trucks used to transport imported food wait outside the entrance of the Laramar warehouse in Puerto Cabello, Venezuela, the port city where the majority of Venezuela's imported food arrives. The calls by members of Congress on both sides of the aisle to sanction Venezuelan officials for profiting from food shortages come in response to an Associated Press investigation that found trafficking in hard-to-find food has become big business in Venezuela, with the military at the heart of the graft.

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida, said President Donald Trump should take immediate action to sanction the top officials named in the AP report. "This should be one of President Trump's first actions in office," Rubio, who is chairman of the Foreign Relations subcommittee that oversees Latin America, said in a statement. The Associated Press cited documents and testimony from business owners who pointed to food minister Gen. Rodolfo Marco Torres and his predecessor, Gen. Carlos Osorio, as key figures involved in fraudulent food imports. Neither official responded to requests for comment, but in the past, both have dismissed charges of corruption as empty accusations propagated by political opponents.

Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Florida, said she is urging the State and Treasury Departments to apply sanctions to Marco Torres and Osorio, as well as anyone else getting rich off Venezuela's food shortages. She is also asking that government agencies ensure U.S. companies are not doing business directly with any Venezuelan business owners fronting for corrupt officials. Sen. Bob Menendez, D-New Jersey, joined her in calling for those involved in food corruption to be held accountable. In 2015, the Obama administration, at the urging of Rubio and Menendez, froze U.S. assets and denied visas for top Venezuelan officials accused of drug trafficking and of human rights violations during a wave of anti-government protests. Maduro responded by calling the U.S. lawmakers "terrorists" bent on destabilizing the oil-rich nation, and banned them from Venezuela.

MORE (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/L/LT_VENEZUELA_UNDONE_PROFITING_FROM_HUNGER?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2017-01-23-14-17-22)

waltky
01-27-2017, 07:47 AM
Anti-Corruption efforts in So. America shines spotlight on two politicians...
:cool2:
Venezuela probing allegations of $100M bribes under Chavez, Maduro
Jan. 26, 2017 -- Venezuela's Chief Prosecutor Luisa Ortega Díaz on Thursday said the Public Ministry launched an investigation into accusations officials under late former President Hugo Chavez and his replacement Nicolas Maduro received nearly $100 million in bribes from Brazilian company Odebrecht.


"An arrest warrant was issued against a person for his alleged involvement in the Odebrecht case," Ortega Díaz during her In tune with the Public Ministry radio program. Ortega Díaz said she will coordinate with the attorney general of Brazil to send a Venezuelan prosecutor to Brazil to interview Marcelo Odebrecht, the Brazilian company's CEO and tycoon sentenced in March to 19 years in prison.


http://cdnph.upi.com/svc/sv/i/4331485447200/2017/1/14854496797305/Venezuela-probing-allegations-of-100M-bribes-under-Chavez-Maduro.jpg

Ortega Díaz also said authorities in Switzerland requested information regarding the accounts of several Venezuelan officials over alleged links to the bribes, including a list of all Venezuelans who received deposits from Odebrecht directly or indirectly.

The company is accused of paying about $98 million in bribes to Venezuelan officials from 2006 through 2015 to obtain and hold public works contracts. Odebrecht in December agreed to pay at least $2.6 billion in criminal penalties over its role in the massive corruption scandal.

Dozens of Brazilian business leaders and politicians have been indicted for corruption, money laundering and racketeering over the scandal in Petrobras, a semi-public oil and gas company. Politicians are accused of accepting bribes -- either personal bribes or bribes distributed to their political party -- in exchange for lucrative government contracts for Odebrecht and Braskem.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/01/26/Venezuela-probing-allegations-of-100M-bribes-under-Chavez-Maduro/4331485447200/?utm_source=sec&utm_campaign=sl&utm_medium=9

See also:

Ex-billionaire Eike Batista targeted in Brazil corruption probe
Jan. 26, 2017 -- Brazilian authorities on Thursday began an operation seeking the arrest of nine people, including former billionaire Eike Batista, related to the Petrobras corruption scandal.


Brazilian Federal Police attempted to arrest Batista at his home in an upscale Rio de Janeiro neighborhood, but Batista's lawyers said the former billionaire was traveling, adding that he planned to turn himself in to authorities after returning, G1 Rio de Janeiro reported. Police said Batista and the other suspects -- identified as "large business owners" -- are accused of laundering about $100 million, most of which has already been repatriated to Brazil. The suspects are accused of active corruption, passive corruption, criminal organization and money laundering.


http://cdnph.upi.com/svc/sv/i/4871485436892/2017/1/14854386048855/Ex-billionaire-Eike-Batista-targeted-in-Brazil-corruption-probe.jpg

About 80 Brazilian Federal Police officers carried out arrest and search and seizure operations on Thursday. The warrants were issued by Brazil's 7th Federal Criminal Court. Batista's $35 billion fortune plummeted after Brazil's economy crashed starting in 2014, which led to the collapse of his Grupo EBX conglomerate.

Dozens of Brazilian business leaders and politicians have been indicted for corruption, money laundering and racketeering over the scandal in Petrobras, a semi-public oil and gas company. Politicians are accused of accepting bribes -- either personal bribes or bribes distributed to their political party -- in exchange for lucrative government contracts. In 2015, the Brazilian economy was nearly 5 percent smaller than it was the previous year. The Petrobras scandal is partly to blame because it led to decreases in foreign investment.

http://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2017/01/26/Ex-billionaire-Eike-Batista-targeted-in-Brazil-corruption-probe/4871485436892/?st

patrickt
01-29-2017, 07:42 AM
Deflection again. If we concentrate on human rights abuses elsewhere we don't have to clean up our own shit. The problem is hypocrits always get outed.
They rarely get outed. When the IRS was outed the King stood up and said there wasn't a smidgen of corruption. And why would liberals support people with similar beliefs to them life Hugo Chavez, Fidel Castro, Kim Jong-Un, the Mullahs in Iran, and Barack Obama.