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From: wolda002@umn.edu
Date: Thu Dec 23 2010 - 23:48:51 EST
Wednesday, Dec. 22, 2010
Venezuela Bars Foreign Funding for NGOs
By AP / FABIOLA SANCHEZ
(CARACAS, Venezuela) — A congress dominated by President Hugo Chávez's
allies passed a law barring foreign funding for nongovernment organizations
and political parties, adding to a series of measures that critics say aim
to stifle dissent.
The law approved by the National Assembly late Tuesday puts in jeopardy
human rights groups and other organizations that get money from abroad,
providing for fines up to double the amount received. (See how Chávez's
opposition is getting its act together in
Venezuela.)<http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2022203,00.html>
It is one of many controversial laws Chávez's government is pushing through
in the final weeks of an outgoing congress that had only a token opposition
presence. A new legislature with a much larger opposition bloc takes office
Jan. 5.
Human Rights Watch condemned the "Law for the Defense of Political
Sovereignty and National Self-determination," saying it not only blocks
funding for human rights activists but also "severely limits their ability
to foster public dialogue with foreign experts who are critical of Chávez's
policies."
According to the language of the law, it targets groups that defend
"political rights," and establishes penalties for inviting foreigners who
publicly give "opinions that offend institutions of the state" or
high-ranking officials. Organizations can be fined for such statements, and
political parties can be fined and barred from elections for five to eight
years.
Carlos Lusverti, who heads Amnesty International in Venezuela, said the law
is vaguely worded and puts NGOs at risk. He said his branch receives much of
its funding from chapters in other countries.
"If we're going to work only with what our local fundraising gives us ...
our activities are going to be severely reduced," Lusverti said. Other warn
that some groups could disappear altogether.
Chávez has said the measures are needed to prevent foreign intervention,
particularly by the U.S. government and U.S.-based organizations.
"How are we going to permit political parties, NGOs ... to continue to be
financed with millions and millions of dollars from the Yankee empire?"
Chávez said last month.
The U.S. Agency for International Development has provided millions of
dollars to Venezuelan organizations for programs that it says aims to
promote democracy. Other groups that have funded programs in Venezuela
include the National Endowment for Democracy, the International Republican
Institute and the National Democratic Institute.
The National Assembly also passed a law Tuesday that would allow for the
suspension of lawmakers who leave their political party while in office.
That aims to counter the kind of defections that have happened during the
current legislative session, when about a dozen legislators broke with
Chávez.
"They're putting a straitjacket on the parliamentarians who are to come,"
said Ismael Garcia, one of the defectors.
Other recently approved laws impose regulations on the Internet, bar some
kinds of online messages, make it easier for authorities to revoke the
licenses of TV or radio stations and give the president powers to enact laws
by decree for 18 months.
Under one law, banks are declared to be of "public utility," increasing the
government's powers to intervene in the sector.
The National Assembly is also discussing a measure to centralize government
control over autonomous universities, and some students have protested what
they call an attempt to take over campuses that have been a bastion of
opposition.
Newly elected opposition lawmakers said in a joint statement that the laws
are dismantling democracy and represent a "coup d'etat by the state." They
called the laws unconstitutional, saying they give Chávez "absolute
control."
Chávez on Wednesday dismissed accusations that the laws are driving
Venezuela toward "dictatorship," reiterating that one key motivation behind
the decree powers is to speed housing solutions after recent floods and
landslides. The leftist leader, who is up for re-election in 2012, insists
he is respecting democratic norms.
The president has long clashed with some NGOs and has called for measures to
crack down on U.S. funding.
His government recently ran political cartoons on state TV vilifying Carlos
Correa of the NGO Espacio Publico, depicting him with a suitcase stuffed
with dollars from the U.S. government.
When Correa appeared at the National Assembly on Dec. 16, he was struck in
the face with a hurled object and received death threats, according to
Paris-based Reporters Without Borders.
In 2008, Human Rights Watch's Americas director, Jose Miguel Vivanco, and
another colleague were expelled from Venezuela after the government accused
them of illegally meddling in the country's affairs.
In a statement, Vivanco said the new law "gives the Chávez government legal
cover to expand its long-standing practice of bullying local human rights
defenders."
The crackdown on foreign funding may also been seen as hypocritical by
opposition politicians who criticize Chávez's aid to allies such as
Nicaragua, Bolivia and Caribbean countries — including both oil shipments on
credit and other donations.
Venezuela has apparently given its own aid to nongovernment organizations as
well. The Official Gazette reported in May that the National Assembly
approved the equivalent of $3.6 million for donations to "nonprofit
institutions" to cement "cooperation alliances ... with countries of Asia,
the Middle East and Oceania."
*Associated Press writer Ian James contributed to this report.*
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