Canadian international lawyer Robert Amsterdam was received on June 17th by the President of the Brazilian Senate, Sen. José Sarney, to whom he explained the plight of political prisoners in Venezuela, and in particular the case of Eligio Cedeño, a Venezuelan banker who has been languishing in a Caracas jail for more than two years without trial, and who has recently been committed to another two years incarceration.
"Brazil is a highly respected regional leader and shining democratic model which many Latin Americans look up to," said Amsterdam. "When it comes to these aberrant violations of human rights and imprisonment of political prisoners in Venezuela, no friend, ally, or partner can afford to remain silent."
In his visit to Brazil, Amsterdam has been speaking to government authorities, leading members of Congress, and the media about the current state of affairs in Chávez's Venezuela. These talks come precisely at the time when Brazil's Senate is considering legislation on Venezuela's accession to Mercosul, the South American free trade zone and integration mechanism. During his audience with Sarney, and in addition to requesting intercession from the Brazilian parliament for the release of Eligio Cedeño, Amsterdam exposed the state of lawlessness in Venezuela, Chavez's enormous purchases of heavy armament from Russia, and Venezuela's unholy alliance to constitute a natural gas cartel similar to OPEC.
After listening carefully to Amsterdam's exposé, President Sarney (who served as President of Brazil from 1985-1990) was provided with an advance copy of a 54-page White Paper outlining the circumstances of Cedeño's detention and describing the process by which Venezuela's executive branch captured the judiciary and turned the courts into a political weapon.
The defense team of Eligio Cedeño intends to continue its efforts to raise awareness of
Venezuela's political prisoner issue in Brazil and elsewhere. The White Paper will be available to the public on June 24, 2009 on www.eligiocedeno.com and www.robertamsterdam.com.
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