Rights groups: Venezuela seeks to suppress dissent

Posted on Tuesday, 02.11.14

Rights groups: Venezuela seeks to suppress dissent
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Human rights groups are condemning Venezuelan
President Nicolas Maduro for what they say is a campaign to squash
demonstrations against his government.

The past two weeks 13 anti-government activists have been arrested for
protesting everything from mounting economic hardships to the presence
of a team from communist Cuba at a baseball tournament.

A coalition of 10 local rights groups said Tuesday that the use of
firearms by police to control crowds and a reliance on anti-terrorism
laws to round up activists violate Venezuelans' constitutional right to
peaceful protest.

Opposition hardliners are calling on Venezuelans to take to the streets
Wednesday in what they hope will be their biggest show of force yet.

Maduro says opponents are trying to oust him and is urging supporters to
stage their own march Wednesday.

The Miami Herald is pleased to provide this opportunity to share
information, experiences and observations about what's in the news. Some
of the comments may be reprinted elsewhere on the site or in the
newspaper. We encourage lively, open debate on the issues of the day,
and ask that you refrain from profanity, hate speech, personal comments
and remarks that are off point. Thank you for taking the time to offer
your thoughts.

The Miami Herald uses Facebook's commenting system. You need to log in
with a Facebook account in order to comment. If you have questions about
commenting with your Facebook account, click here.

Have a news tip? You can send it anonymously. Click here to send us your
tip - or - consider joining the Public Insight Network and become a sour

http://www.miamiherald.com/2014/02/11/3928572/rights-groups-venezuela-seeks.html