US slams human rights abuses in Venezuela and Cuba

US slams human rights abuses in Venezuela and Cuba
The US Department of State echoes the recent report issued by the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)

* US State Department criticizes restrictions on freedoms in Venezuela
* IACHR regrets deaths in prison and urges Venezuela to stop violence in
jails
* Venezuela rejects politicization of US report on human rights

Western Hemisphere
The 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices issued by the US
Department of State highlights violations of human rights in Cuba,
Venezuela and Colombia. The three Latin American countries are
criticized by the "restrictions on freedom of expression, assembly and
association," throughout 2009, DPA reported.

In the case of Venezuela, the report focuses primarily on government
attacks on private media.

"Government officials, including the president (Hugo Chávez), used
government-controlled media outlets to accuse private media owners,
directors, and reporters of fomenting anti-government destabilization
campaigns and coup attempts," said the report. The paper also highlights
the "active harassment" to privately owned and opposition-oriented
television stations, media outlets, and journalists using
"administrative sanctions, fines, and threats of closure."

In this sense, the report recalls "government's harassment" of private
TV news network Globovisión. It also states that by the end of 2009, 32
radio stations and two television stations were been shut, and the
government announced "its intention to close" another unspecified 29
radio stations.

The US Department of State also echoes the recent report issued by the
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) which warned of a
"troubling trend of punishments, intimidation, and attacks on
individuals in reprisal for expressing their dissent with official policy."

According to the US Department of State report, Cuban authorities
"interfered with privacy" of citizens and engaged in "pervasive
monitoring of private communications." At the same time, the Caribbean
island once again banned non-official press, and refused to recognize
domestic human rights groups or independent journalists.

The report was severe with Venezuela and Cuba, but showed a softer
stance on Colombia. However, unlike the previous human rights report,
the 2009 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices made critical remarks
about the situation facing freedom of expression, especially due to the
country's guerrillas.

US slams human rights abuses in Venezuela and Cuba - Daily News - EL
UNIVERSAL (12 March 2010)
http://english.eluniversal.com/2010/03/12/en_pol_esp_us-slams-human-right_12A3573093.shtml