Venezuela jails opposition leader - Democratic Underground

acmejack

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Tue Dec-13-05 07:25 PM
Original message

Venezuela jails opposition leader

A Venezuelan court has sentenced one of the most prominent leaders of the opposition to 15 years in prison.

Carlos Ortega, who once led powerful trade unions, was found guilty of inciting civil unrest during a strike that began in late 2002.

The two-month strike paralysed Venezuela's vital oil industry

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4526642.stm

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Dr.Phool

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Tue Dec-13-05 07:54 PM
Response to Original message

1. That only tells half the story.

That wasn't a typical labor union, but a management union that locked out the workers, and tried to bring Chavez down at U.S. instigation. It failed.

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Cha

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Tue Dec-13-05 08:07 PM
Response to Reply #1

2. THanks! A lot more than

meets the eye on that story.

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Tempest

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Tue Dec-13-05 08:18 PM
Response to Reply #1

3. Not only that

But the union leadership was also extremely well connected with the coup leaders.

Before the coup the union and coup leaders met over many weeks, there's also a paper trail of money changing hands between the groups.

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Skink

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Tue Dec-13-05 08:50 PM
Response to Reply #1

7. Management union or Cartel?

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IndianaGreen

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Tue Dec-13-05 08:41 PM
Response to Original message

4. Ortega was financed by CIA and he tried to overthrow the government

Would we feel any sympathy for a politician that was found to be in the back pockets of Wall Street and conspired to subvert the electoral process to put a corporate puppet in power?

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gorbal

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Tue Dec-13-05 08:48 PM
Response to Reply #4

6. Ooh, I want to see links to info

Not that I disbelieve you, I was just trying to find the links to show people and couldn't.

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Judi Lynn

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Tue Dec-13-05 08:48 PM
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5. How many labor leaders taking foreign political money, calling strikes,

getting involved in a coup against _Bush would make it without getting in DEEP DEEP trouble?

He was proud to take part in an anti-Chavez parade in Miami called by the Cuban right-wing "exiles," on a day the entire world was protesting _Bush'swar on Iraq.

Recipient of U.S. funds, Ortega on the right.

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killbotfactory

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Tue Dec-13-05 09:44 PM
Response to Original message

8. "Carlos Ortega fled to Costa Rica after the strike"

Gosh, I wonder if he really did anything wrong? Obviously this is politically motivated! :sarcasm:

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Thu May 09th 2024, 08:30 PM
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