US embassy cable - 04CARACAS612

C O N F I D E N T I A L  CARACAS 000612 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
NSC FOR CBARTON 
USCINCSO ALSO FOR POLAD 
USAID DCHA/OTI FOR RPORTER 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL: 06/03/2013 
TAGS: PHUM, PGOV, VE 
SUBJECT: CHAVEZ TAKES AIM AT HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS 
 
 
Classified By: POLITICAL COUNSELOR ABELARDO A. ARIAS FOR REASONS 1.4 (B 
) AND (D) 
 
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SUMMARY 
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1. (C) During his February 15 "Alo Presidente" broadcast, 
President Chavez accused several human rights organizations 
of receiving funding from the National Endowment for 
Democracy (NED) through the Washington-based Center for 
Justice and International Law (CEJIL) to help overthrow the 
GOV.  Several of the named NGOs issued statements rejecting 
the accusation and demanding that Chavez retract his 
statements.  While publicly projecting an image of 
fearlessness in the face of this frontal attack, the 
organizations' directors privately acknowledge their worry 
about the possible consequences of being labeled as traitors. 
 End Summary. 
 
2. (U) During his February 15 "Alo Presidente" broadcast, 
President Chavez accused several human rights organizations 
of receiving funding from the National Endowment for 
Democracy (NED) through the Washington-based Center for 
Justice and International Law (CEJIL), itself a recipient of 
NED funding.  Chavez named the Human Rights Education and 
Action Program (PROVEA), the Committee of Relatives and 
Victims of the February 1989 Events (COFAVIC), the Support 
Network (Red de Apoyo), and the Human Rights Office of the 
Catholic Church (Vicaria), among others.  Chavez claimed that 
the NGOs, like Sumate, had accepted NED funding to 
participate in efforts to overthrow the GOV.  Vice President 
Rangel followed up February 16 with a statement that the NGOs 
had broken the law, citing a Supreme Court ruling that limits 
the activities of organizations that receive foreign funding. 
 
 
3. (U) PROVEA fired back with a February 17 press release 
denying it has ever requested or received funding from the 
USG.  It also affirmed that doing so would not be a crime, 
and it acknowledged its strong working relationship with 
CEJIL.  The NGO states that it has condemned all "ruptures of 
constitutional continuity," including Chavez' own 1992 coup 
attempt and the brief presidency of Pedro Carmona in April 
2002.  PROVEA also reminded the President that it has 
requested protective measures favoring Chavez from the 
Inter-American Human Rights Court, but that it would not be 
deterred from its work "by threats from any government 
official, current or future." 
 
4. (U) PROVEA plans to invoke its right under Article 58 of 
the Constitution to demand that the President rectify the 
damage he has caused by making false statements.  COFAVIC and 
the Vicaria made similar statements on February 16 and 
accused Chavez of "setting a very negative precedent," 
according to news reports. 
 
5. (C) Carlos Correa and Liliana Ortega, directors, 
respectively, of PROVEA and COFAVIC, told poloff February 18 
that they are very concerned about the possible consequences 
for their staff and activities as a result of being labeled 
traitors by Chavez.  According to Ortega, "the threatening 
email and phone calls have already begun."  Correa told 
poloff that PROVEA had activated its normal security 
procedures and is staying alert, "but so far we haven't been 
subjected to any direct threats or violence." 
 
6. (C) Jose Gregorio Guarenas, the Vicaria's general 
coordinator, told poloff February 19 his staff is receiving 
threatening email and phone calls, and that being singled out 
by Chavez has "definite security implications," as they go 
about their usual activities.  He also told poloff that the 
National Assembly (AN) appointed a committee February 18 to 
investigate all of the human rights NGOs named by Chavez. 
"The investigation will only magnify the danger for us," he 
said. 
 
7. (U) Amnesty International issued a statement February 18 
insisting that Chavez respect the work of human rights NGOS, 
emphasizing that international human rights treaties, to 
which Venezuela is a signatory, form the basis for such work. 
 
 
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COMMENT 
 
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8. (U) In November 2000, the Supreme Court ruled that NGOs 
that receive funding from foreign governments or whose 
leaders are not Venezuelan are not part of civil society. 
The ruling concludes that such NGOs may not represent 
citizens in court or bring their own legal action, but it 
does not criminalize the acceptance of foreign funding.  All 
of the organizations named by Chavez receive funding from a 
variety of foreign sources and state that their financing is 
public information. 
 
9. (C) The common characteristic of the human rights NGOs 
named by the President is their refusal to wink at certain 
actions for political or monetary reasons.  It is precisely 
this institutional integrity and independence that threatens 
Chavez and has led him to seize on the link to CEJIL and the 
NED as a means to weaken a societal sector that he doesn't 
control. 
SHAPIRO 
 
 
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      2004CARACA00612 - CONFIDENTIAL