Venezuela Court Opens Way to Prosecute for 2002 Coup

[bemildred]

March 11 (Bloomberg) -- Venezuela's Supreme Court, whose membership was expanded last year by the National Assembly, made a ruling that opens the way to prosecute participants in an April 2002 uprising against President Hugo Chavez.

The court overturned an August 2002 ruling that the uprising wasn't a coup. The new ruling, which came in response to a request by Attorney General Isaias Rodriguez, was carried live by Venezuelan television stations.

---

Chavez was removed from office for two days after about 500,000 protesters marched in the capital. The government sought to portray the overthrow attempt -- which left 42 dead and $800 million in losses -- as being premeditated.

Bloomberg

[Rex]

1. It is interesting how so many countries patterned their govts after ours

and now we are going to lose the freedoms they are just learning about.

[Blue to the bone]

7. Yes, like the Chimp's Supreme Court, Chavez' is also stacked.....

....in his favor.

[Judi Lynn]

2. God, the (((((( spin ))))) is amazing.

Of COURSE the coup was premeditated. People in Washington, like Otto Reich, in the State Department, discussed it with the coup leaders in person months before it happened, when they went there to discuss it.

They also knew it when the money (our tax dollars in action) was dispersed to the various groups which worked to make it possible.

If this had happened to _{George W. Bush} they'd all be missing by now. GONE. Maybe they'd be buried under Abu Ghraib somewhere.

[bemildred]

3. Yeah, that's what I saw too.

They are trying to sell the "spontaneous uprising of the
outraged people" meme.

[bemildred]

4. However, this is pretty defensive.

No whining about "court packing" and dictatorial powers and stuff.

[aneerkoinos]

5. Remember?

The "CIA implants" on DU accusing Chavez of "antidemocratic" (but fully constitutional) measures for renovating the old pro-coup Supreme Court?

[bemildred]

6. Yeah, exactly.

This is aimed more at the idea that is was all spontaneous and
the CIA had nothing to do with it, and it just sort of happened
because of internal Venezuelan politics, and nothing illegal
occurred of course.

[Judi Lynn]

9. Looks like their battle plan is morphing.There will be stragglers

who haven't read their e-mails, who will be repeating the OLD talking points, but it DOES look like they aren't satisfied with the lack of response to the old ones....

It's a fairly clumsy transition, and an obvious ones. Shows their complete contempt for the truth, as well. Not even making an effort to resemble anything credible anymore, they're recreating history on the spot.

It's a little late in the game for them to try this approach. They are compromised.

[bemildred]

11. Well, it's an admission of defeat, near as you will get.

Chavez still needs good bodyguards.

But look at Ecuador, Bolivia, Argentina, Chile, Brazil.
And China is all over Latin America.
So it's becoming impossible to ignore the folly of their policy.
It is past the point where it's just about Chavez.

You saw the story about Noriega whining that it may soon
be "hopeless"?
:-)

[aneerkoinos]

12. Yeah

and Mexico - Don't forget Poland!!! ;)

What happens if and when Pinko like the rest of the gang gets elected in Mexico - or if Condie succeeds in the legalistic (coup) denial of his candidacy and Mexican bottoms up social movements start doing the same as in Bolivia ...

Mexico, a people not so far away from the United States of Evil ... ;)

[bemildred]

14. And Mexico. And Canada.

And Uribe in Colombia seems to be thinking about his options.

[bemildred]

15. And Uruguay, don't forget Uruguay. nt

[Robbien]

8. The is the first time after a BushCo coup that the country was still

reasonably intact and a BushCo puppet not in power.

It must be very worrisome for BushCo.

[struggle4progress]

10. ... The decision opens the way to treason charges, which carry ...

... a maximum penalty of 26 years in jail, according to the penal code ...
Venezuela Court Opens Way to Prosecute for 2002 Coup (Update2)

[bpilgrim]

13. i hope our PATRIOTIC LAWYERS are taking notes

:evilgrin:

peace