Venezuela in the dock for political disqualifications

[naaman fletcher]

On Tuesday, for the first time in the Court's history, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR Court) will present a case, accusing an OAS Member State for violating the political rights of one of its citizens.

Venezuela will have to respond for the political barring on Venezuelan former mayor Leopoldo López, which prevented him from running as a candidate in the election for state governors and mayors held in 2008.

The IACHR Court, sort of regional public prosecutor's office, admitted a complaint filed in 2008 by the former mayor and accused Venezuela of violating Article 23 of the American Convention on Human Rights. Such article provides that every citizen may part in the conduct of public affairs, directly or through freely chosen representatives and to vote and be elected in genuine periodic elections which shall be by universal and equal suffrage and by secret ballot.

It also establishes that "the law may regulate the exercise of the rights and opportunities referred to in the preceding paragraph only on the basis of age, nationality, residence, language, education, civil and mental capacity, or sentencing by a competent court in criminal proceedings."


http://english.eluniversal.com/2011/03/01/venezuela-in-the-dock-for-political-disqualifications.shtml