Venezuela: Political Prisoner Oswaldo Álvarez Paz Conditionally Released, HRF Calls for Dismissal of Case

NEW YORK (May 18, 2010) -- The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) called today for a definitive stay of the proceedings against Social Christian politician Oswaldo Álvarez Paz. After spending almost two months detained in the headquarters of Venezuela’s secret police Álvarez Paz was conditionally released from custody last week, pending a criminal trial for criticizing President Chavez and his government.

“Conditional release is certainly better than preventive imprisonment, but no one should ever be tried in a criminal court for speaking his mind,” said Thor Halvorssen, president of HRF. “The criminal trials against Oswaldo Álvarez Paz, Guillermo Zuloaga, Francisco Úson and others prosecuted for expressing their opinions are a scandal. Individuals who dare to criticize their government should never be persecuted, but rather protected by judicial institutions in their own country and by the international community,” Halvorssen continued.

On April 5, HRF published a legal report on his case and declared Álvarez Paz a prisoner of conscience of the Venezuelan government. The report determined that the actions carried out by the Venezuelan authorities in charge of his case, violated the international human rights legal standard on freedom of expression.

Days after participating in a televised interview where he criticized the human rights situation in Venezuela and discussed alleged ties between the Venezuelan government, drug-trafficking cartels, Spanish terrorist organization ETA (Euskadi Ta Askatasuna), and the FARC (Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia), Álvarez Paz was arrested and charged with the crime of “conspiracy,” “public instigation to commit crimes,” and “dissemination of false information.”  After 51 days under preventive imprisonment, Álvarez Paz was released on May 13, pending the final resolution of his trial. He is forbidden to leave the country and is forbidden from making public statements about his case; additionally, he must appear before the court every 15 days. 

Since 2000, the Venezuelan government has systematically restricted freedom of expression within the country. Since 2007, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights have repeatedly found Venezuela responsible for violating freedom of expression.  Venezuela is the only state in the Americas to deny the Inter-American Commission access to its territory. In 2008, after various instances of blatant disregard of international rulings, the Supreme Justice Tribunal of Venezuela finally declared a decision by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights “non-enforceable” and expressly called on the executive power to denounce the American Convention on Human Rights. Since 2009, the Freedom of the Press Index   has ranked Venezuela as “not free.” Other countries in this category include Burma, China, Eritrea, Libya, North Korea, and Turkmenistan.

HRF is an international nonpartisan organization devoted to defending human rights in the Americas. It centers its work on the twin concepts of freedom of self-determination and freedom from tyranny. These ideals include the belief that all human beings have the rights to speak freely, to associate with those of like mind, and to leave and enter their countries. Individuals in a free society must be accorded equal treatment and due process under law, and must have the opportunity to participate in the governments of their countries; HRF’s ideals likewise find expression in the conviction that all human beings have the right to be free from arbitrary detainment or exile and from interference and coercion in matters of conscience. HRF does not support nor condone violence. HRF’s International Council includes former prisoners of conscience Vladimir Bukovsky, Palden Gyatso, Václav Havel, Mutabar Tadjibaeva, Ramón J. Velásquez, Elie Wiesel, and Harry Wu.

Contact: Javier El-Hage, Human Rights Foundation, (212) 246.8486, info@thehrf.org

Read HRF’s legal report on Oswaldo Álvarez Paz's case here.