CARACAS, Venezuela -- More than 150 university students have joined a hunger strike to demand the Organization of American States investigate allegations that dozens of Venezuelans have been jailed for their opposition to President Hugo Chavez.
Student activist Angel Arellano said Wednesday that 163 people _ mostly students _ have joined the protest since last week, when 10 students set up cots outside the OAS offices in Caracas and vowed to consume only water until the Washington-based group's Interamerican Commission of Human Rights promises to launch a probe.
Some students sewed their mouths shut. At least six abandoned the strike to seek medical treatment, Arellano said.
Chavez, who has not publicly commented on the protest, denies allegations that his government is bringing trumped-up criminal charges against his critics.
Attorney General Luisa Ortega says Chavez adversaries who have been arrested committed crimes ranging from disturbing the peace to assaulting police officers.
Education Minister Hector Navarro called the hunger strike "a media show," noting that television channels and radio stations have been broadcasting live from the sidewalks outside the OAS offices.
Roughly 40 Chavez foes are in prison, most of them awaiting trial on protest-related charges, according to local human rights organizations.
The Venezuelan Penal Forum rights group says more than 2,000 Chavez opponents have gone to trial in the last seven years on charges stemming from their participation in protests.
Most were charged with misdemeanors and released. But some were prohibited from joining future demonstrations, and others barred from leaving their hometowns or publicly discussing their cases.
© 2009 Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
|
