Editing Hugo Chávez (section)

===Human rights===
{{further|Human rights in Venezuela}}

====Criticisms====
[[File:Freedom ratings in Venezuela - Hugo Chavez.png|right|350px|thumb|Freedom ratings in Venezuela from 1998 to 2013. (1 = Free, 7 = not free) <br />'''Source''': Freedom House]]
Shortly after Hugo Chávez's election, ratings for freedom in Venezuela dropped according to political and human rights group [[Freedom House]] and Venezuela was rated "partly free".<ref name=FH2013>{{cite web|title=Country ratings and status, FIW 1973–2014|url=https://www.freedomhouse.org/sites/default/files/Country%20Ratings%20and%20Status%2C%201973-2014%20%28FINAL%29.xls|website=Freedom House|access-date=16 December 2014}}</ref> In 2004, Amnesty International criticized Chavez's administration of not handling the 2002 coup in a proper manner, saying that violent incidents "have not been investigated effectively and have gone unpunished" and that "impunity enjoyed by the perpetrators encourages further human rights violations in a particularly volatile political climate".<ref name=AImarch2004>{{cite web|title=Venezuela: Protestors in civil disturbances|url=http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR530032004?open&of=ENG-VEN|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040322012454/http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR530032004?open&of=ENG-VEN|archive-date=22 March 2004|website=Amnesty International|access-date=15 December 2014}}</ref> Amnesty International also criticized the [[Venezuelan National Guard]] and the [[SEBIN|Direccion de Inteligencia Seguridad y Prevención (DISIP)]] stating that they "allegedly used excessive force to control the situation on a number of occasions" during protests involving the [[2004 Venezuela recall]].<ref name=AImarch2004/> It was also noted that many of the protesters detained seemed to not be "brought before a judge within the legal time limit".<ref name=AImarch2004/>

In 2008, [[Human Rights Watch]] released a report reviewing Chávez's human rights record over his first decade in power.{{sfn|Holland|2008|p=1}} The report praises Chávez's 1999 amendments to the constitution which significantly expanded human rights guarantees, as well as mentioning improvements in [[women's rights]] and [[indigenous rights]], but noted a "wide range of government policies that have undercut the human rights protections established" by the revised constitution.{{sfn|Holland|2008|p=1}} In particular, the report accused Chávez and his administration of engaging in discrimination on political grounds, eroding the independence of the judiciary, and of engaging in "policies that have undercut journalists' freedom of expression, workers' freedom of association, and civil society's ability to promote human rights in Venezuela".{{sfn|Holland|2008|p=2}} The Venezuelan government retaliated for the report by expelling members of Human Rights Watch from the country.<ref name="Venezuela expels rights activists">BBC NEWS. [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7625629.stm Venezuela expels rights activists.] (19 September 2008).</ref> Subsequently, over a hundred Latin American scholars signed a joint letter with the [[Council on Hemispheric Affairs]], a leftist NGO<ref>{{cite book|last1=Seliktar|first1=Ofira|title=Failing the crystal ball test : the Carter administration and the fundamentalist revolution in Iran|date=2000|publisher=Praeger|location=Westport, Conn [u.a.]|isbn=978-0275968724|page=44|edition=[Online-Ausg.]}}</ref> that would defend Chávez and his movement, with the individuals criticizing the Human Rights Watch report for its alleged factual inaccuracy, exaggeration, lack of context, illogical arguments, and heavy reliance on opposition newspapers as sources, among other things.<ref name="coha-hrw-letter">{{cite press release|url=http://www.coha.org/taking-human-rights-watch-to-task/|title=Taking Human Rights Watch to Task on the Question of Venezuela's Purported Abuse of Human Rights|publisher=[[Council on Hemispheric Affairs]]|date=18 December 2008}}</ref><ref name="coha-letter-replies">{{cite press release|url=http://www.coha.org/scholars-respond-to-hrw-directors-riposte-on-venezuelan-human-rights/|title=Scholars Respond to HRW's Kenneth Roth's Riposte on Venezuelan Human Rights|publisher=Council on Hemispheric Affairs|date=12 January 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Moynihan|first1=Michael|title=Venezuela's Useful Idiots|url=http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/02/24/venezuela-s-useful-idiots.html|access-date=20 February 2015|agency=[[The Daily Beast]]|date=24 February 2014}}</ref>{{better source needed|need less biased secondary source here|date=June 2022}}

The [[International Labour Organization]] of the United Nations had also expressed concern over voters being pressured to join the party.<ref name="eluniversal.com"/>

In 2009, [[Detention of Maria Lourdes Afiuni|Judge María Lourdes Afiuni]] was arrested on charges of corruption after ordering the conditional release on bail of businessman [[Eligio Cedeño]], who then fled the country.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://english.eluniversal.com/2010/03/24/en_pol_esp_human-rights-groups_24A3637413.shtml|title=Human rights groups denounce in OAS flaws in Venezuela's justice system|author=Alonso, Juan Francisco|date=24 March 2010|work=[[El Universal (Caracas)|El Universal]]|access-date=14 April 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100329091738/http://english.eluniversal.com/2010/03/24/en_pol_esp_human-rights-groups_24A3637413.shtml|archive-date=29 March 2010|url-status=dead}}</ref> She was moved to house arrest in Caracas in February 2011,<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/130617/jueza-afiuni-se-impuso-de-su-libertad-condicional-en-el-tribunal|title=Jueza Afiuni se impuso de su libertad condicional en el Tribunal|date=17 June 2013|website=El Universal|access-date=21 March 2015}}</ref><ref name="NYT61413">{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/15/world/americas/court-in-venezuela-orders-release-of-a-judge-once-scorned-and-jailed-by-chavez.html|title=Court in Venezuela Orders Release of a Judge Once Scorned and Jailed by Chávez|first=William|last=Neuman|date=14 June 2013|newspaper=The New York Times|access-date=15 June 2013|author2=María Eugenia Díaz}}</ref> but she is still barred from practicing law, leaving the country, or using her bank account or social networks.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/141213/lawyer-judge-afiuni-has-been-professionally-disabled|title=Lawyer: Judge Afiuni has been professionally disabled|date=13 December 2014|access-date=22 March 2015}}</ref> Human rights groups accused Chávez of creating a [[climate of fear]] that threatened the independence of the judiciary. ''Reuters'' said Afiuni is "considered by opponents and jurists as one of the most emblematic political prisoners" in Venezuela, because Chávez called for her to be imprisoned.<ref name=CondenaCinco>{{Cite web|url=https://lta.reuters.com/articulo/politica-venezuela-tribunal-idLTAKCN1R301C|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190322153147/https://lta.reuters.com/articulo/politica-venezuela-tribunal-idLTAKCN1R301C|url-status=dead|archive-date=22 March 2019|title=Tribunal en Venezuela condena a 5 años de prisión a jueza inculpada por pedido de expresidente Chávez|date=22 March 2019|website=Reuters|language=es|access-date=22 March 2019}}</ref>

In 2009, the Attorney General announced the creation of an investigative team to examine 6,000 reports of extrajudicial killings between 2000 and 2007.<ref>[[Amnesty International]], [http://report2009.amnesty.org/en/regions/americas/venezuela 2009 Annual Report: Venezuela] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090902131912/http://report2009.amnesty.org/en/regions/americas/venezuela|date=2 September 2009}}</ref>
[[File:Hillary Clinton and Hugo Chavez.png|thumb|left|Chávez meets with Secretary of State [[Hillary Clinton|Clinton]] at the [[Summit of the Americas]] on 19 April 2009]]

In 2010, [[Amnesty International]] criticized the Chávez administration for targeting critics following several politically motivated arrests.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/venezuelan-government-deliberately-targeting-opponents-2010-04-01 |title=Venezuelan government deliberately targeting opponents |publisher=Amnesty International |date=1 April 2010 |access-date=27 February 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130816043032/http://www.amnesty.org/en/for-media/press-releases/venezuelan-government-deliberately-targeting-opponents-2010-04-01 |archive-date=16 August 2013}}</ref> [[Freedom House]] listed Venezuela as being "partly free" in its 2011 Freedom in the World annual report, noting a recent decline in civil liberties.<ref>[http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=363&year=2011 "Freedom in the World – Venezuela (2009)."] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111128074729/http://www.freedomhouse.org/template.cfm?page=363&year=2011 |date=28 November 2011 }} Freedom House. 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2011.</ref> A 2010 [[Organization of American States]] report found concerns with freedom of expression, human rights abuses, authoritarianism, press freedom, threats to democracy,<ref name="IACHRRequests" /><ref name=ChavezCriticized>{{Cite news|url= https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/02/24/AR2010022401884.html?hpid=moreheadlines |title= Venezuela, President Chávez criticized in OAS report |last=Forero |first=Juan |newspaper= The Washington Post |date = 24 February 2010 |access-date=24 February 2010}}</ref><ref name=CNNOAS>{{Cite news|url= http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/02/24/venezuela.human.rights/ |title= Venezuela violates human rights, OAS commission reports |date= 24 February 2010 |access-date=24 February 2010 |publisher= CNN}}</ref><ref name="OAS2010">{{cite press release |url=http://www.cidh.oas.org/Comunicados/English/2010/20V-10eng.htm |title=Press release N° 20/10, IACHR publishes report on Venezuela |publisher=[[Organization of American States]] |work=Inter-American Commission on Human Rights |date=24 February 2010 |access-date=26 February 2010}}</ref><ref name="Jurist">{{cite web |last=Schimizzi |first=Carrie |date=24 February 2010 |title=Venezuela government violating basic human rights: report |url=http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2010/02/venezuela-government-violating-basic.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131020120703/http://jurist.law.pitt.edu/paperchase/2010/02/venezuela-government-violating-basic.php |archive-date=20 October 2013 |access-date=25 February 2010 |publisher=Jurist: Legal news and research}}</ref> as well as erosion of separation of powers, the economic infrastructure and ability of the president to appoint judges to federal courts.<ref name=ChavezCriticized/><ref name=CNNOAS/><ref name=WSJOAS>{{Cite news|url= https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703510204575085801117383696 |title= OAS Report Chastises Venezuela |work= The Wall Street Journal |date= 24 February 2010 |access-date=24 February 2010 |last=Prado |first=Paulo}}</ref> OAS observers were denied access to Venezuela;<ref name=WSJOAS/> Chávez rejected the OAS report, pointing out that its authors did not go to Venezuela.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/02/25/world/AP-LT-Venezuela-Rights-Report.html |title=Chávez Rejects Report Citing Rights Violations |work=The New York Times|agency=Associated Press |date=25 February 2010 |access-date=25 February 2010 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> Venezuelan ombudswoman [[Gabriela Ramírez]] said the report distorted and took statistics out of context, and said that "human rights violations in Venezuela have decreased".<ref>{{Cite news |url= http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/02/25/venezuela.human.rights.report/?hpt=Sbinn |title= Venezuelan official disputes report on human rights abuses |publisher= CNN |date= 25 February 2010 |access-date= 26 February 2010 |archive-date= 4 June 2011 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110604121813/http://edition.cnn.com/2010/WORLD/americas/02/25/venezuela.human.rights.report/?hpt=Sbinn |url-status= dead }}</ref>

In November 2014, Venezuela appeared before the [[United Nations Committee Against Torture]] over cases between 2002 and 2014.<ref>{{cite news|title=Venezuela ante la ONU: "Puede haber individuos armados dentro de los colectivos"|url=http://www.infobae.com/2014/11/08/1607401-venezuela-la-onu-puede-haber-individuos-armados-dentro-los-colectivos|access-date=9 November 2014|agency=[[Infobae.com|Infobae]]|date=8 November 2014}}</ref> Human rights expert of the UN committee, [[Felice D. Gaer]], noted that in "only 12 public officials have been convicted of human rights violations in the last decade when in the same period have been more than 5,000 complaints".<ref>{{cite news|title=Venezuela tuvo que responder por más de 3.000 casos de tortura ante Naciones Unidas|url=http://www.infobae.com/2014/11/06/1606934-venezuela-tuvo-que-responder-mas-3000-casos-tortura-naciones-unidas|access-date=9 November 2014|agency=[[Infobae.com|Infobae]]|date=6 November 2014}}</ref> The United Nations stated that there were 31,096 complaints of human rights violations received between the years 2011 and 2014.<ref name=EN28nov2014>{{cite news|title=Como "una tragedia" cataloga la ONU situación de las cárceles en el país|url=http://www.el-nacional.com/mundo/tragedia-cataloga-ONU-situacion-carceles_0_527947243.html|access-date=29 November 2014|agency=El Nacional|date=28 November 2014|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141128201039/http://www.el-nacional.com/mundo/tragedia-cataloga-ONU-situacion-carceles_0_527947243.html|archive-date=28 November 2014}}</ref> Of the 31,096 complaints, 3% of the cases resulted in only in an indictment by the Venezuelan Public Ministry.<ref name=EN28nov2014/><ref name=LPnov2014>{{cite news|title=La situación de las cárceles venezolanas es una tragedia, dice la ONU|url=http://www.lapatilla.com/site/2014/11/28/la-situacion-de-las-carceles-venezolanas-es-una-tragedia-dice-la-onu/|access-date=29 November 2014|agency=La Patilla|date=29 November 2014}}</ref>

=====Allegations of antisemitism=====
{{See also|Antisemitism in Venezuela#Accusations of Chávez anti-Semitism|l1=Accusations of Chávez antisemitism}}
Chavez's [[Anti-Zionism|opposition to Zionism]] and [[Iran–Venezuela relations|close relations with Iran]] led to accusations of [[antisemitism]].<ref>{{cite web|title=Lauder urges Venezuela to fight anti-Semitism, resume ties with Israel|url=http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/12950/lauder_urges_venezuela_to_fight_anti_semitism_resume_ties_with_israel |publisher=World Jewish Congress|access-date=11 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.forbes.com/2009/02/13/chavez-jews-referendum-opinions-contributors_0215_rowan_schoen.html |title=Hugo Chavez And Anti-Semitism |magazine=Forbes |access-date=19 May 2014 |date=15 February 2009}}</ref> Such claims were made by the Venezuelan Jewish community at a [[World Jewish Congress]] Plenary Assembly in [[Jerusalem]], after Venezuela's oldest synagogue was vandalised by armed men.<ref name=WJCchavez /> In 2006, the [[Simon Wiesenthal Center]] published a shortened version of a speech by Chávez, which significantly changed its meaning to make it appear that he had made anti-Semitic remarks. The ''[[New York Daily News]]'', the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', and the ''[[Wall Street Journal]]'' published the Wiesenthal Center's claim. The Confederation of Jewish Associations of Venezuela, the [[American Jewish Committee]] and the [[American Jewish Congress]] said that Chavez’s comments were not aimed at Jews, but rather at "the white oligarchy that has dominated the region since the colonial era".<ref>{{cite web|title=Venezuela's Jews Defend Leftist President in Flap Over Remarks|url=http://forward.com/articles/1874/venezuelaes-jews-defend-leftist-president-in-fla/|work=The Jewish Daily Forward|date=13 January 2006|access-date=11 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Playing the 'Anti-Semitism' Card Against Venezuela|work=NACLA |url=https://nacla.org/node/6106|publisher=North American Congress on Latin America|date=September 2009|access-date=11 May 2014}}</ref> In 2009, attacks on a synagogue in Caracas were alleged to be influenced by "vocal denunciations of Israel" by the Venezuelan state media and Hugo Chávez, even though Chavez promptly condemned the attacks, blaming an "oligarchy".<ref name=WJCchavez>{{cite web|title=Venezuela's oldest synagogue vandalized by armed men|url=http://www.worldjewishcongress.org/en/news/7835/venezuela_s_oldest_synagogue_vandalized_by_armed_men|publisher=World Jewish Congress|access-date=11 May 2014}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/2009/02/01/pol_ava_chavez-responsabiliz_01A2212005 |title=Chávez responsabiliza a "oligarquía" por ataque a la sinagoga |work=El Universal |date=1 February 2009 |access-date=4 June 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140606232025/http://www.eluniversal.com/2009/02/01/pol_ava_chavez-responsabiliz_01A2212005 |archive-date=6 June 2014}}</ref> A weeklong investigation by the Venezuelan [[CICPC]] stated the synagogue attack to be an 'inside job', the motive apparently being robbery rather than antisemitism.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/noticia/24250/presento-los-resultados-de-la-investigacion-de-los-ataques-a-la-sinagoga/ |title=Presentó los resultados de la investigación de los ataques a la Sinagoga |work=Noticias24.com |date=9 February 2009 |access-date=4 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160831152552/http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/noticia/24250/presento-los-resultados-de-la-investigacion-de-los-ataques-a-la-sinagoga/ |archive-date=31 August 2016 |url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/noticia/24321/trasladan-a-los-tribunales-a-implicados-en-ataque-a-la-sinagoga/ |title=Trasladan a los Tribunales a implicados en ataque a la sinagoga |work=Noticias24.com |date=10 February 2009 |access-date=4 June 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140607003809/http://www.noticias24.com/actualidad/noticia/24321/trasladan-a-los-tribunales-a-implicados-en-ataque-a-la-sinagoga/ |archive-date=7 June 2014 |url-status=dead}}</ref>