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Well, in the year of 2012, something unusual 
and embarrassing occurred

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for Venezuela, it was an instruction that 
was given by the president Hugo Chavez to 
the

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then chancellor Nicolas Maduro, to withdraw 
Venezuela from the Interamerican System for 
Human Rights.

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In other words, Venezuela pretends to disown 
the Interamerican Court of Rights

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headquartered in San Jose

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and to place Venezuela at the margin of the 
Interamerican System. This is

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an aberration from a political point of view, 
from the ethical point of view, and from 
the juridical point of view

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because the Venezuelan constitution places 
human rights related treaties

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above or at the same rank as the constitution,

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above the ordinary laws, and that brings 
as a consequence that Hugo Chavez’s government

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cannot withdraw. In other words, our presence 
in the system is a right

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that has been given for the rest of our lives 
and no one should be able to withdraw.

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Since then, Venezuela has pretended to evade 
control from the Interamerican System.

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The commission continues to exercise its 
vigilance and continues to dictate precautionary 
measures,

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but the government ignores them and doesn’t 
permit the commission to visit,

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and in regards to the courts, not a single 
new trial has been established since Venezuela’s 
withdrawal.

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Ambassador, now that we are having this conversation, 
how do you evaluate,how do you evaluate the 
visit

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of the High Commissioner for Human Rights 
in the United Nations, Michelle Bachelet, 
in Venezuela?

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Well, it’s normal that the High

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Commissioner goes to Venezuela. Looking at 
the schedule, I think that there are too 
many protocolar visits

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to officials and not enough presence of the 
Commissioner with

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human right’s victims or with patients that 
are not being seen by hospitals,

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with the family members of those who have 
been killed or are tortured, or the family 
members of

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those who are imprisoned. I would have liked 
to see Michelle Bachelet in the Helicoide, 
in La Tumba (the tomb),

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in the military prison of Ramo Verde. That 
is the real work that is expected from her,

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and I see in her schedule a succession of 
protocolar interviews that

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don’t mean absolutely anything and that impedes 
her to truly realize the work for which

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she was designated, which is to ensure the 
respect for human rights.