Venezuelan Opposition Protesters Shoot Chavez Supporter
November 28th 2007, by Kiraz Janicke - Venezuelanalysis.com
Caracas, November 28, 2007 (venezuelanalysis.com)
- Neighbors, friends and family members of young
worker and supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo
Chavez, José Anibal Oliveros Yépez, who was
murdered by a radical opposition group in the
regional city of Valencia on Monday, have express
profound rage and indignation at what occurred
explaining that his body was spat on and kicked
by his killers, "as if he were and animal."
Oliveres, 19 years old, was on his way to work
driving a truck of state owned "socialist"
housing company Petrocasa when he encountered
opposition groups blocking the road in protest
against proposed constitutional reforms. When he
tried to convince them to let him pass he was
shot several times and died before he could be rescued.
Radio YVKE Mundial reported that the opposition
protesters came from Cuidad Alianza, a middle
class suburb in Valencia and blocked a highway to
impede workers from Petrocasa from passing to the
poorer neighborhood of Araguita, where they were
working to construct housing for the poor.
However, the report noted many of the neighbors
from Cuidad Alianza also rejected the violent
behavior of some of the opposition groups.
A resident from Cuidad Alianza who did not want
to be named told Radio YVKE Mundial that the
opposition groups had blocked the road to
Araguita from three o'clock in the morning and
were patrolling the neighborhood "with guns in hand."
Alexander Borges, friend and workmate of Oliveros
explained to VTV that they tried to rescue
Oliveros, but were prevented by the protestors who threatened to kill them.
"There were four of us, trying to carry our
friend to the community, but they surrounded us
throwing bottles. I took the opportunity to move
him [Oliveros] because they were going to hit him
with a bottle in the face and I moved him so it
did not hit him in the face. He had one bullet in
the leg, a man from the local community was going
to carry him, but in this moment they shot him
twice in the back and this is when he fell to the ground."
"We pleaded with them for the life of our friend
that was lying bloody on the ground, to please
allow us the opportunity to pick him up and they
responded that now they were coming for us, that
they were coming for me," Borges added.
Borges explained that two other people came to
help rescue Oliveros, but that the opposition
supporters threw rocks and bottles at them
screaming, "Come and pick up your dead, now we are coming for you."
Dixon Viloria, also a friend of Oliveros and a
witness said that after they killed him, "they
mal-treated him, kicked him, stripped off his
clothes, hit him and screamed pick up your dead
chicken!' as if he was an animal."
Beltran Chavez, from Araguita said that neighbors
from Cuidad Alianza had shot at workers from
Petrocasa earlier when they tried to pass through
to construction sites in Araguita. He said the
same group of protesters had previously set
alight to a truck from Petrocasa and physically
and verbally attacked a group of women from Araguita.
"How can a group of people be better armed than
the state and municipal police," he asked. He
added that thanks to the municipal and state
police the four people that participated in the act were captured."
National Assembly Deputy Francisco Ameliach and
the Mayor of Guacara, José Manuel Flores, who
visited the neighborhood to pay their respects to
the Oliveros' family, reported that opposition
groups in Ciudad Alianza that claim to represent
"civil society" have marked the houses of Chavez
supporters, or those they believe to be Chavez
supporters, with red paint and "have said they are going to kill them."
Vice president Jorge Rodriguez confirmed that the
Oliveros' killer had been identified and arrested
and has confessed to the crime, reportedly saying
that all "Chavistas" should be killed, as well as
three other people also linked to his death.
Rodrgiuez said that simultaneously coordinated
opposition protests of small groups had blocked
other highways with burning objects in Valencia
and Maracay. In total 80 people were arrested.
Rodriguez has also asked the Venezuelan Episcopal
Conference to explain what they know about a
meeting held by the opposition in the Diocesan
Insitute in Maracay where the violent protests
are alleged to have been planned.
Rodriguez said he has witness testimony of people
who were invited to the meeting in the Diocesan
Institute to "pray for peace" however; when they
arrived they found the meeting was planning the
protest in Ciudad Alianza that resulted in the death of Oliveros.
Rodriguez said the Catholic hierarchy should
remember the commandments not to lie and not to
kill and said the Church should explain to the
Venezuelan people why their buildings are being
used to plan these types of protests.
Friends and family of Oliveros also condemned
Venezuelan and international media reporting of
his death, particularly opposition private TV
channel Globovision, which they say tried to
portray Oliveros as insane, and some
international media that have tried to obscure
the events leading to Oliveros death, some even
claiming that Oliveros was an opposition
supporter attacked by a "pro-Chavez mob."
Gladys Yépez, mother of Oliveros demanded justice
for her only son and President Hugo Chavez has
responded saying the murderer of Oliveros should
face the "full weight of the law."
Source URL: http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/2913
Printed: November 29th 2007
License: Published under a Creative Commons
license (by-nc-nd). See creativecommons.org for more information.
Michael A. Lebowitz
Professor Emeritus
Economics Department
Simon Fraser University
Burnaby, B.C., Canada V5A 1S6
Director, Programme in 'Transformative Practice and Human Development'
Centro Internacional Miranda, P.H.
Residencias Anauco Suites, Parque Central, final Av. Bolivar
Caracas, Venezuela
fax: 0212 5768274/0212 5777231
http//:centrointernacionalmiranda.gob.ve
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