El Universal is carrying an interview with Juan Pablo López, deputy president of the Federation of University Centers of the Central University of Venezuela (FCU-UCV), about the recent trip of a Venezuelan student delegation to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in Washington. The original is article is here. A translation follows.
On 30 October a delegation of 14 university student traveled to Washington to meet with the executive secretary of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), Santiago Cantón, to explain to him firsthand the situation of persecuted, exiled and political prisoners of Venezuela. The meeting was the result of the 30 September agreement to cease the six-day hunger strike that 160 students staged throughout the country.
Juan Pablo López, deputy president of the Federation of University Centers of the Central University of Venezuela (FCU-UCV), formed the delegation and vividly recounts the 60 minute-long interview, highlighting as "positive" his impression of Cantón and other officials in response to discussing the reality of human rights in the country.
El Universal: What was the greatest achievement of the meeting with the IACHR?
López: First, we should clarify that we did not convince anyone. What the student movement did was open a savings account in human rights, a file with the government, not only for the persecuted students but all prisoners, persecuted and exiled politicians. Our great achievement was that members of the IACHR listened to us and let us explain that we are a combative and organized movement, willing to go to whatever lengths necessary to defend human rights. We also must emphasize that for the first time in its history, the IACHR received a student delegation. We were critical and demanded of Cantón that if the government resists the IACHR visit, that he insist...and that in our judgment the IACHR has not done enough for the country.
El Universal: After the meeting do you think that Cantón is aware of the reality of human rights in the country?
López: Yes. But the best part was that we succeeded in making the rest of the commission aware. Some commission members almost cried upon hearing the experiences of Julio Rivas when he was imprisoned in the Yare prison. The issue of human rights in the country is grave and urgent. We told Cantón that the future of freedoms in Venezuela is in their hands. Cantón replied that they have done everything possible and used all mechanisms, and that it is indeed an urgent case but there is nothing more they can do. I replied that you can always do more.
El Universal: Do you think there is a lack of political will?
López: Yes. That's why I proposed that the students and the IACHR work together to make the return visit happen. We work within the country to achieve a favorable environment and they continue working with the Venezuelan government.
El Universal: In concrete terms, what were the demands presented to the IACHR?
López: There were were six requests. One was that the IACHR continue demanding permission from the government to enter the country. The statement of commissioner Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro on the case of human rights. Another was to include the report the students submitted in the Venezuela file. Another request is to study the status of public, private and pilot universities and their right to autonomy.
El Universal: Was the Education Act addressed?
López: Cantón and the rest of the commission raised concerns about the education act and are interested in studying it more in depth. The idea of deeper talks about university autonomy came up. We equally denounce the government attacks on students through the universities, by reducing the budget as a mechanism to take control of institutions. The fifth requirement was that although for now they could not make an onsite visit, we ask them to, through NGOs, monitor human rights in the country and, finally, expedite the case of Venezuela. I told Cantón that the worst thing for a people is being ignored.
El Universal: You didn't talk about the apathy of OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza on the subject?
López: We said that Insulza has to be pressured for his silent complicity and that the OAS is playing with fire by not responding to the case of Venezuela. We also demanded that the OAS Permanent Council should make an announcement on our situation. If the IACHR can not do anything, then why do they exist?
El Universal: Is it possible to bring the case to the Permanent Council?
López: It's not easy. But the group of Venezuelans who study in various universities in Washington pledged to solicit the council every Wednesday. There is also the possibility that next March the students can have a hearing with the state to make the public more aware of the reality of the politically persecuted and political prisoners.
El Universal: A rapid effect of the visit to the IACHR was the release of the UCV student Carlos Lozada and the rest of the employees of the Caracas Mayor's office. How do you evaluate this gesture of the national government?
López: We do not know if it was because of us. Maybe it was a move meant to appease us, because that was one of the cases we discussed.
El Universal: Was the force of the external lobbying effort from the Venezuelan government palpable during the Washington visit?
López: Yes. To us, this influence creates an uphill effort for countries and international bodies that speak out against the government's policy of criminalising protest and political persecution. But beyond that, our struggle is to continue speaking the truth. We have no choice but to go to all possible lengths to expose the violation of political freedoms and the intimidation to the citizenship that are state policies. Totalitarian regimes always project a different abroad.
El Universal: What's next?
López: As a student movement we have the ability to fight on several fronts. We will insist on the visit by the IACHR. We will continue working and fighting for university autonomy, for better spending budgets. Then there are the social demands of citizens. Our flag is freedom, and we're hoisting it in defence of all citizens and democratic freedoms.
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