On December 6, 2015 parliamentary elections will be held in Venezuela, but in the days leading up to them there has been an escalation in violence and threats against the democratic opposition by the Maduro regime and its allies. Below is an open letter from OAS president Luis Almagro on the situation in Venezuela.
Venezuela: Open letter from the OAS Secretary General regarding Pre-Electoral Climate
November 28, 2015
Today, one week before the December 6 elections, I reiterate my call
for peace and an end to the violence in Venezuela. The insults and
impunity, whatever their source, cannot be an answer to the national and
international clamor for equal rights and electoral justice.
It does not make one 'garbage,'
Mister President Nicolas Maduro,
to condemn the killing of a politician and call for an end to the
ongoing violence in the country, or to say that "the violent death of
any person is a heinous act that we cannot accept. The killing of a
political activist, moreover, leaves us all more vulnerable, and signals
that we are all real victims, not just potential victims." 'Garbage'
would be to say anything else.
In addition, it is not 'garbage' to say that "the killing of a political
leader is a deadly wound to democracy and a succession of violent acts
in an electoral process can be a mortal blow to nearly any kind of
democracy."
Similarly, it is not 'garbage' to refer to "other attacks against other
opposition political leaders in a strategy to intimidate the
opposition," and to note that "the entire society is affected by fear
and it has shaken the entire international community."
Insecurity and Fear Cannot Dominate the Campaign
And if the fear and insecurity of the opposition is not enough, Mister
President of all Venezuelans, you should listen to them so they can tell
you directly.
I only ask that every activist and every student - from any political
affiliation - be able to express themselves peacefully, and be sure
that they can return to their homes in peace; that any politician, from
the best to the worst, be protected, be safe from any attack whatever
the motive. To be 'garbage' would be to ask for anything else.
It is not 'garbage' to ask that
"the government act now," to call
for "an end to all violence;" to ask that "the electoral process be
transformed into a celebration and not an exercise of force, violence
and fear;" and to call for "the most absolute guarantees for everyone."
It would be 'garbage' not to demand these rights.
Disarmament of civilian groups, a civic imperative
It is not 'garbage' to urge the immediate reestablishment of a climate
of peace and respect for the law, nor to urge an end to "speeches filled
with threats and dark forecasts and for the disarmament of any armed
civilian group, in particular those that depend on the government or the
party of the government."
And my request refers specifically to
these, because I suppose and I hope that you have influence and power in
these cases, Mister President. In any case it would be good for the country to put aside the politics of weapons and crime.
It is not 'garbage' to say that "there should not be one more death, one
more threat," and that it is "time to put an end to the fear," and that
"every death in Venezuela today hurts everyone in the Americas."
It would be 'garbage' to allow violent death, threats, and the logic of
fear; it would be 'garbage' if the deaths in Venezuela did not cause us
pain. Every death should hurt us, whether the name is
Eleazar
Hernández or Pablo Sussoni, Génesis Arguisone or past cases such as
those of Robert Serra and his partner or Eliezer Otaiza, or more
recently, Luis Manuel Diaz, who died during a campaign event.
Principles Must Not Divide Us
Regarding the case of Luis Manuel Diaz it is urgent - due to the nature
of the political crime - to carry out an investigation of the killing
and that the investigation result in irrefutable conclusions, just as it
is necessary to investigate and resolve the pending cases of the 43
people killed in past demonstrations and other still unresolved cases.
This would bring security.
I hope these principles, Mister President, do not divide us and put myself on one side and yourself on the other. And I do not make this response today to keep myself safe from insults, but because I prefer to hear arguments.
I care about the happiness and the peace of your country. And I want the
Venezuelan people to achieve their happiness during your mandate,
because the happiness of the people,
"does not allow for the slightest delay," nor do its causes, in the initial meaning of the words of General José Gervasio Artigas.
Luis Almagro,
Secretary General of the OAS
Reference:
E-345/15
Spanish version (En castellano)
Posts
