Libya Suspended From UN Rights Body, ICC Expected To Move Quickly On Security Council Referral

The international community is stepping up pressure on the Gaddafi government in Libya, as reports of violence continue to come out of Tripoli and Western parts of the country.

The United Nations General Assembly today agreed to suspend Libya from its seat on the Human Rights Council, as all members of international rights body, including Libya’s representatives, had requested it to do last week in Geneva.   

Today’s decision was accepted by consensus, but Venezuela’s Ambassador to the United Nations warned the General Assembly against the possibility of an American led military intervention in Libya.

“Venezuela calls for the rejection of warmongering mobilization of the US Air Force and Navy in the Mediterranean Sea.”  said Ambassador Jorge Valero  “We deplore the double standards applied to Human rights by imperialist countries. The death of one single human being in Libya is painful. Also painful are the death of thousands of human beings suffering from imperialist military invasions.” 

US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice fired back at Valero’s criticism, saying her country utterly rejected the “ugly distortion” by the Venezuelan Ambassador. 

“At a time when this assembly is acting in unison in support of the Libyan people, it’s shameful that one member state, whose own reprehensible record speaks for itself, would manipulate this occasion to spread lies, foster fear and sow hate.” Rice told the Assembly. 

Speaking before the General Assembly, Secretary General Ban Ki Moon outlined the most recent reports of violence through the country and praised the Human Rights Council’s decision to open an international inquiry into the alleged abuses.

On Saturday, all 15 members of the Security Council agreed to a resolution imposing financial sanctions and travel bans on the Gaddafi regime. The council also requested the International Criminal Court investigate reported incidents of violence that have taken place through out the country since February 15th. 

This is the second time the Security Council has referred a case to the ICC. In 2005, the Council passed a resolution bringing the violence in the Darfur region of Sudan to the attention of the court. Both China and the US,  permanent Security Council members not party to the Rome statute, abstained from voting. At the time, American officials at the UN said referral to the ICC was the main reason for abstaining. 

Beijing and Washington’s representatives at the Council voted in favor of an ICC referral on Saturday, but the US reportedly insisted on the inclusion of a clause that would protect government officials and nationals of non ICC member states from international prosecution “related to operations in the Libyan Arab Jamahiriya established or authorized by the Council”. 

 Some initial reports voiced concern that the exemption could protect foreign mercenaries hired by the Gaddafi regime, but in a press conference this morning, Christian Wenaweser, President of the Assembly of States Parties to the International Criminal Court, told reporters the resolution’s language was meant to exclude foreign mercenaries responsible for attacks on Libyan protesters and opposition groups.

The  final decision whether or not pursue a greater investigation will be up to head ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo, who is expected to make an announcement quickly once he is formally notified by the Security Council. Wenaweser said the head ICC prosecutor would also be coordinating his decision to investigate with the Human Rights Council’s inquiry.

Venezuelan Opposition Leaders: We Want Democracy To Prevail

By Courtney Costello-Talk Radio News Service

During a members' briefing of the House Foreign Affairs Committee hosted by Rep. Illeana Ros-Lehitnen (R-Fl.), Venezuelan opposition governors decried what they described as Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s attempt to gain more power and strip the Venezuelan people of their democratic rights.

“It is sad that many powers that be in this region are more concerned with the welfare of tyrants than the will and democratic rights of the people who are oppressed,” said Ros-Lehtinen.

The Republican Representatives chided Chavez for his lenient handling of drug trafficking in Venezuela, the kidnappings of natives and tourists, and the lack of meaningful investigations from his administration.

The mayor and governors stated that their mission was to use common democratic values to undermine Chavez.

Governor of Zulia State, Pablo Perez Alvarez and Governor of Tachira State, Cesar Perez Vivas were the two Venezuelan governors in attendance.

Venezuelan Lawyer Says Chavez Has Compromised Judicial System

By Celia Canon- Talk Radio News Service

Human Rights Attorney Gonzalo Himiob Santome exposed Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s judicial corruption at a press conference at the National Press Club on Wednesday.

“Several cases... have proved that the judicial system in Venezuela has been deteriorating in order to be used as a weapon for persecution and intimidation of the opposition and the political dissidents,” Himiob said.

Himiob was in Washington D.C to introduce a book he and attorneys Robert Amsterdam and Antonio Rosich wrote that documents the case of Eligio Cedeno, a victim of repeated human rights violations by the Venezuelan government.

According to Himiob, “In common crime, from 306, 000 cases reviewed by the general attorney’s office on 2008, only 8000 cases were submitted to formal accusation. That led us to a conclusion that there is a 97% impunity rate of common crimes.” Himiob added that “If the judicial system is not working for persecuting the criminals, what are they doing?”

“In this case, it's very clear that it doesn't matter that they are guilty or not. The thing is [they] use the procedures themselves as a punishment... no matter if [the accused] are innocent or not. They are showing that they can submit you to a trial and they can hold you in prison without any respect to the regulations, internal and international regulations. just because they want to make you feel their power over you,” Himiob added.

To Be Democratic, Or Not To Be? That Is The Question Facing Honduras

By Celia Canon- Talk Radio News Service

Latin American experts gathered in Washington on Thursday to deplore the blatant lack of democracy that currently exists in Latin America, magnified by the recent coup in Honduras.

Some of those who testified, such as Jim Swigert, Senior Associate and Regional Director of Latin America and Caribbean Programs at the National Democratic Institute, criticized the military for its forceful action, explaining that “I think those who decided to turn to the use of force to resolve the political dispute only exacerbate the situation [because] the military was engaged in the political process as the arbiter, as the enforcer.”

Adolfo Franco, Vice President of Global Regulatory Affairs at the Direct Selling Association, said that despite the international community condemning the coup, the world should also know that ousted President Manuel Zelaya should bear much responsibility for the crisis.

Franco defended the military's role, saying “It [the referendum proposed by Zelaya] wasn't against the will of the legislator, it was a violation of the Constitution of Honduras as that judicial body, the Supreme Court which is empowered to make those decisions, rendered a correct decision and issued a warrant for his arrest.”

Zelaya was forced out of power by military forces in Honduras after the former President scheduled a vote in late June asking the population whether a constituent assembly should re-write the Honduran Constitution. Zelaya declared that the constitution’s imperfections were the source of current national social issues.

Franco clarified that the events that occurred in Honduras should be no surprise as Honduras has been following the same pattern as its left wing homologues in the region.

“The model now in Latin America is don’t do coups; [instead] you get elected and you dismantle systematically democracy,” said Franco, adding that Zelaya had been an “increasingly anti-democratic president trying to use the mechanisms of democracy to destroy those [democratic] institutions and to perpetuate himself to power.”

Latin American Experts: Zelaya Must Be Allowed Back Into Honduras

By Celia Canon-Talk Radio News Service

On Tuesday, experts from the Inter-American Dialogue warned that Honduras would continue to be unstable as long as ousted President Manuel Zelaya was not allowed back into the country.

“Zelaya is the elected President... If things degenerate further you won’t have good elections,” said Peter Hakim, President of Inter-American dialogue.

Hakim advised the international community to pursue “open negotiations involving [the] interim government.” Once an agreement is reached among the global community, Hakim advised Honduras to hold an election but warned that the quality of these elections depends on the stability of the country.

On June 29th, the Honduran military led a coup to overthrow President Manuel Zelaya. Armed forces intervened hours before a national referendum was due to take place to determine whether the constitution could be modified to allow the President to assume a second term, rather than the single term outlined in the country’s constitution. Zelaya was replaced by interim-President Roberto Micheletti.

Though the future of Honduras is nothing short of uncertain, many actors, including the international body Organization of American States, have gotten involved in the reestablishment of peace and stability in the Central American country.

“The OAS could take a strong position but then [it could be better to] not put the de facto Honduran government against the wall,” Hakim said

Genaro Arriagada, a Senior Fellow at the Inter-American Dialogue, added that besides the obvious necessary changes that should be brought to the Honduran government and constitution, further changes should involve the OAS 2001 democratic charter which was adopted by member states in order to ensure the presence of democratic institutions in all countries of the Americas.

The Charter needs to be reconsidered, explained Arriagada, “because it gives protection to the government but not to the opposition to the government.”