Due process is to be suspended if and when the Government declares a state of emergency and such a state may be declared for an indefenite amount of time and actions will not be restricted by international human rights legislation. This is the latest news from the on-going Venezuelan constitutional reform and this time it has aroused international opinion.
According to Jose Miguel Vivancos, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, “This amendment, if approved, would allow President Chávez to invoke a state of emergency to justify suspending certain rights that are untouchable under international law”.
It is worrying to think that a government already known for disliking opponents and cristicisms, will now have the liberty to declare a state in which it will be able to repress any sort of public manifestations. It is impossible not to wonder whether the recent awakening of the student movement (largely opposed to major Bolivarian policies, especially the withdrawal of RCTV's open air signal - a privately owned television channel) influenced directly on this kind of legislation. Will it be Venezuela's young, independent and finally motivated students who suffer the consequences of this new law? For their sake, I hope not.
For more information on Human Rights Watch views on Venezuela:
http://hrw.org/doc/?t=americas&c=venezu
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