The following is the latest press release on the Eligio Cedeño case, whom Hugo Chávez mentioned just now in a national television address. It is not true that Cedeño has been arrested.
Former Venezuelan Political Prisoner Eligio Cedeño Submits Himself to United States Jurisdiction
Dec. 21, Miami, Fla. - Lawyers acting on behalf of Eligio Cedeño, a Venezuelan businessman who had been unlawfully jailed without trial for almost three years, confirm that he legally entered the United States on Dec. 19th to voluntarily submit himself to U.S. jurisdiction. Cedeño was released from detention in Venezuela on Dec. 10th, and subsequently the judge who issued the release order, María Lourdes Afiuni, was imprisoned and personally denounced on state television by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez.
Defense counsel for Cedeño firmly deny false claims made to the media today by the Venezuelan government, which is alleging that their client had been "arrested" in the United States or that he had committed a crime.
"Eligio Cedeño, a victim of political persecution by the government of Hugo Chávez, arrived to South Florida on Saturday, Dec. 19th, and is currently in the United States after voluntarily submitting himself to U.S. jurisdiction," said Robert Amsterdam, an international lawyer representing Cedeño. "In spreading misinformation about arrests, extraditions, and alleged illegal acts, the Chávez administration is clearly making moves to stake out a position as an aggrieved party, and invent a hyped-up dispute with their favorite imaginary enemy, the United States of America."
Amsterdam continued, "Just consider the facts behind the case: Chávez arrested the judge without reason, personally attacking her and Cedeño and demanding the maximum penalty for her in televised remarks. Three independent human rights experts from a United Nations Working Group then issued a statement condemning the arrest of the judge, and reiterating their opinion that Cedeño was being arbitrarily detained. The Chávez government has a long history of harassing judges and prosecutors involved in this case: one former judge who made only one ruling in Cedeño's favor had to seek asylum in the United States after suffering the attempted kidnapping of her son. Another prosecutor who testified that the detention of Cedeño was groundless was forced out of her job."
"This blatant lie from Chávez and the Ministerio Publico about Cedeño being 'arrested' just goes to show who the real criminals are in Venezuela," concluded Amsterdam.
More information is available at www.robertamsterdam.com and www.eligiocedeno.com.
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