By Patrick Vanderpool
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

SANTIAGO, Chile – Chilean Catholic Bishop and staunch human rights advocate Sergio Valech Aldunate recently passed away after battling lung cancer; he was 83 years old.  Aldunate was particularly outspoken against human rights violations during the 1973-1990 Pinochet dictatorship.

Aldunate was ordained in 1953 and named a bishop by Pope Paul VI in 1973.  Between 1987 and 1992, Aldunate headed the Chilean church’s Solidarity Vicariate, an institution created after Pinochet’s 1973 coup.  The purpose of the Solidarity Vicariate was to speak up for the victims of the military regime.

The vicariate was eventually  abolished in 1992;however, Aldunate then established and headed a foundation that conserved its archives and made them available for investigations.

The Bishop was also chosen by then-President Ricardo Lagos to lead a commission probing politically motivated detentions and torture under the Pinochet government.  It is estimated that Pinochet’s regime was responsible for over 3,000 civilian deaths and 28,000 cases of torture.

There has been a tremendous outpouring of public mourning and appreciation.  Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet said that Aldunate was “the voice of the voiceless during the dark night of the dictatorship. He turned into a rights defender, and was a man who saved many lives.”  Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz, Archbishop of Santiago stated that “[Aldunate] was an example of simple life, very poor, not wanting anything for himself… an exemplary Chilean…  He was always in the frontline for the reconciliation of his homeland.”

The online La Nacion newspaper called Aldunate “the most important figure of the cause of human rights during the military regime.”

The Bishop’s funeral was celebrated on Friday in the Metropolitan Cathedral of Santiago; the same place Aldunate was consecrated at in 1973.

For more information, please see:

Independent Catholic News – Chile Bids Farewell to Bishop Valech – 25 November 2010

Fox News Latino – Chilean Bishop who Defended Human Rights Dies – 24 November 2010

Latin American Herald Tribune – Chilean Bishop who Defended Human Rights Dies – 24 November 2010

By R. Renee Yaworsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela—The president of a pro-opposition Venezuelan television network who has been in exile from his country is now seeking asylum in the United States.  According to that president, the procedure for obtaining political asylum is nearing completion.

Sixty-seven year old Guillermo Zuloaga, the owner of the Globovision television channel, escaped from Venezuela back in June of this year in order to evade arrest by authorities.  The authorities claim that Zuloaga was involved in the illegal sales of automobiles and have subsequently seized his property.

In an interview on Wednesday, Zuloaga told CNN’s Spanish language channel that the criminal charges against him were pretexts and that the true reason he was sought by Venezuelan officials is because he is being politically persecuted.  Zuloaga had had a falling out with Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez earlier in the year as Globovision remained a voice of opposition.

President Chavez spoke at a government event on Wednesday which was broadcast on state television.  During his speech, Chavez denied that Zuloaga was being oppressed for political reasons.  Chavez labeled Zuloaga a “bandit” and opined that he was in cahoots with the United States Central Intelligence Agency (CIA).

Zuloaga said that although he would like to live again in Venezuela, Chavez’s government there is authoritarian and rules by intimidation by controlling the justice system.  He denied that he had been involved in a 100 million dollar plot to assassinate President Chavez, calling those allegations a “smokescreen.”

During a speech in Washington, Zuloaga declared to Chavez:  “President, I do not want you dead.  I want you healthy so as to see you when you stand before Venezuelans, and perhaps beyond our borders, for your government’s bad rule and the vast fortune you have wasted.”

Globovision remains on air despite its criticism of the government.  Chavez has attempted to interfere with the network but as of yet has been unable to completely silence it.

The National Journalists’ Association (CNP) has spoken out against Chavez’s threats against Globovision.  Earlier this year, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights announced that it remains concerned about Venezuela’s use of punitive power of the state to silence voices of opposition.

For more information, please see:

RTT-Venezuela’s Globovision TV Network Boss Seeks US Asylum-26 November 2010

Voice of America-Venezuelan TV Executive Seeks Asylum in US-25 November 2010

Mail Online-Venezuelan TV boss stokes row with Chavez after denying being behind $100m assassination plot-25 November 2010