Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 18, 2008
Contact: Olivia Goumbri, Venezuela Information Office, 301-613-4767
The Truth Suffers in Human Rights Watch Report on Venezuela
The Venezuela Information Office condemns the new Human Rights Watch report on Venezuela released today as a biased and politicized attack that should be regarded with suspicion in the context of the recent deterioration in diplomatic relations between Venezuela and the Bush administration.
Human Rights Watch wrongly claims that the democratic government of President Chavez "flout[s] human rights principles," ignoring its tremendous progress on extending the most fundamental of human rights to all citizens, such as food, education, and health. In the region as a whole, Venezuela compares favorably with other countries on human rights issues.
"The report is limited in its analysis of the Venezuelan situation, and runs contrary to the findings of other organizations, such as the United Nations Development Programme, that have highlighted the extension of universal human rights under Chavez. It reads like the talking points of Venezuela's discredited opposition," said Olivia Goumbri, Executive Director of the Venezuela Information Office in Washington.
Human Rights Watch focuses on the issues of political discrimination, the separation of powers, and the media in Venezuela, but misrepresents the realities of all three, taking what are at best isolated incidents and portraying them as common occurrences. Rather than a fact-based analysis, the report promotes a discourse on Venezuela similar to that deployed by the Bush administration and should not be taken seriously. For a full analysis, click here.
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NOTE: The Venezuela Information Office is dedicated to informing the American
public about contemporary Venezuela, and receives its funding from the
government of Venezuela. More information is available from the FARA office
of the Department of Justice in Washington DC.
Venezuela Information Office
2000 P Street NW, Suite 240,
Washington, DC 20036
tel: (202) 347-8081
fax: (202) 223-8029
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