Venezuelan Opposition Protesters Shoot Chavez Supporter

Caracas, November 28, 2007 (venezuelanalysis.com) - Neighbors, friends and family members of young worker and supporter of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, José Anibal Oliveros Yépez, who was murdered by a radical opposition group in the regional city of Valencia on Monday, have express profound rage and indignation at what occurred explaining that his body was spat on and kicked by his killers, "as if he were and animal."

Oliveres, 19 years old, was on his way to work driving a truck of state owned "socialist" housing company Petrocasa when he encountered opposition groups blocking the road in protest against proposed constitutional reforms. When he tried to convince them to let him pass he was shot several times and died before he could be rescued.

Radio YVKE Mundial reported that the opposition protesters came from Cuidad Alianza, a middle class suburb in Valencia and blocked a highway to impede workers from Petrocasa from passing to the poorer neighborhood of Araguita, where they were working to construct housing for the poor. However, the report noted many of the neighbors from Cuidad Alianza also rejected the violent behavior of some of the opposition groups.

A resident from Cuidad Alianza who did not want to be named told Radio YVKE Mundial that the opposition groups had blocked the road to Araguita from three o'clock in the morning and were patrolling the neighborhood "with guns in hand."

Alexander Borges, friend and workmate of Oliveros explained to VTV that they tried to rescue Oliveros, but were prevented by the protestors who threatened to kill them.

"There were four of us, trying to carry our friend to the community, but they surrounded us throwing bottles. I took the opportunity to move him because they were going to hit him with a bottle in the face and I moved him so it did not hit him in the face. He had one bullet in the leg, a man from the local community was going to carry him, but in this moment they shot him twice in the back and this is when he fell to the ground."

"We pleaded with them for the life of our friend that was lying bloody on the ground, to please allow us the opportunity to pick him up and they responded that now they were coming for us, that they were coming for me," Borges added.

Borges explained that two other people came to help rescue Oliveros, but that the opposition supporters threw rocks and bottles at them screaming, "Come and pick up your dead, now we are coming for you."

Dixon Viloria, also a friend of Oliveros and a witness said that after they killed him, "they mal-treated him, kicked him, stripped off his clothes, hit him and screamed ‘pick up your dead chicken!' as if he was an animal."

Beltran Chavez, from Araguita said that neighbors from Cuidad Alianza had shot at workers from Petrocasa earlier when they tried to pass through to construction sites in Araguita. He said the same group of protesters had previously set alight to a truck from Petrocasa and physically and verbally attacked a group of women from Araguita.

"How can a group of people be better armed than the state and municipal police," he asked. He added that thanks to the municipal and state police the four people that participated in the act were captured."

National Assembly Deputy Francisco Ameliach and the Mayor of Guacara, José Manuel Flores, who visited the neighborhood to pay their respects to the Oliveros' family, reported that opposition groups in Ciudad Alianza that claim to represent "civil society" have marked the houses of Chavez supporters, or those they believe to be Chavez supporters, with red paint and "have said they are going to kill them."

Vice president Jorge Rodriguez confirmed that the Oliveros' killer had been identified and arrested and has confessed to the crime, reportedly saying that all "Chavistas" should be killed, as well as three other people also linked to his death. Rodrgiuez said that simultaneously coordinated opposition protests of small groups had blocked other highways with burning objects in Valencia and Maracay. In total 80 people were arrested.

Rodriguez has also asked the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference to explain what they know about a meeting held by the opposition in the Diocesan Insitute in Maracay where the violent protests are alleged to have been planned.

Rodriguez said he has witness testimony of people who were invited to the meeting in the Diocesan Institute to "pray for peace" however; when they arrived they found the meeting was planning the protest in Ciudad Alianza that resulted in the death of Oliveros.

Rodriguez said the Catholic hierarchy should remember the commandments not to lie and not to kill and said the Church should explain to the Venezuelan people why their buildings are being used to plan these types of protests.

Friends and family of Oliveros also condemned Venezuelan and international media reporting of his death, particularly opposition private TV channel Globovision, which they say tried to portray Oliveros as insane, and some international media that have tried to obscure the events leading to Oliveros death, some even claiming that Oliveros was an opposition supporter attacked by a "pro-Chavez mob."

Gladys Yépez, mother of Oliveros demanded justice for her only son and President Hugo Chavez has responded saying the murderer of Oliveros should face the "full weight of the law."

Source URL: http://www.venezuelanalysis.com/news/2913
Printed: November 29th 2007

Gee I sure hope Venezuela has the DEATH PENALTY!

hiding behind their connections with the 'Church' to stir up violence.

We know who you are.

in Chile helped the economists from the University of Chicago. they also helped Pinochet. I think we should accuse the Vatican of being a terrorist organization! See what they have to say about that!

have typically allied themselves with the ruling families and conservative and reactionary lay organizations in Latin America. It's been like this since the colonial period.
When Ratzinger was head of the Holy Inquisition, he was instrumental in suppressing those in the Church who preached Liberation Theology.

He calls for Peace but on his terms.

the Vatican. Some, like Otto Skorzeny, went to the Mid-East to train terrorists. One of these terrorist groups was the Fedayeen. Others went to S. America. Klaus Barbie (aka "The Butcher of Lyon") started a company called Merex which was years later involved in shipping arms and drugs for the Contra operation. (See the book "Whiteout")

by that I mean the faux Democrats.

No such requirement exists to denounce the Chavez Dicatatorship of course.

some lame brain interjects a slam at Hillary supporters, calling them (possibly us) faux democrats. I have earned my stripes as a democrat with hard door to door efforts for Gore and Kerry and Yarmuth, spending whole week-ends working for these superior candidates. I will be doing it again when the time comes. If I decide to support Clinton, I resent being called a FAUX DEMOCRAT...in fact I highly resent it. You vote for whomever you want and I will do the same. Then I will work hard and long if your person wins because I have seen the destruction imposed on our Constitution by the GOPers. In the meantime lay off of me and my fellow dems.

Well done on your Door to Door work... but what would you be going door to door saying if its Hillary you're supporting? "Hey! we need you're vote to help us privatize the entire country and make this place great for big business" or "Look, I know as well as you that Hillary doesn't give a flying foock about US, the normal American, but it sure beats a Republican in office..."

Sounds great.. She represents a powerful sect within the Democratic party that loves to pay lip service to the left right up until they cast a vote! brilliant! usable handy votes, then the same people are all about the "Fuck Nader" stuff like its not their fault in the first place for disenfranchising these people OVER AND OVER.

Now why I posted it here? Well I've found a startling amount of anti Chavez people on these boards also have a Hillary Avatar.. it is no coinkydink. these people are just Republicans in Dem's clothing.. they support a fully Americocentric "We own the world fuck everybody else" attitude that is sickening..

If this Thread was about Chavez supporter having shot an opposition Protester, you think there would be less or more responses? less or more Recs? how many bloody Hillary Avatars would you see as you scan down through the thread...

Its makes me sick.. Hillary makes me sick...

VIVA CHAVEZ!

if you spent your time talking UP your candidate instead of tearing other's candidates DOWN.

snide Hillary comment. I am not sure whom I personally will be voting for in the primaries since Al Gore is not running; however, I am not going to denigrate any of our fine candidates. Hillary is far more progressive than most of the other candidates. She worked diligently for insurance for everyone and she was for a Palestinian state way before it was popular; she worked for the poor and our children once she got her law degree when she could have been making big bucks with a Yale Law degree (despite what the idiot on the Supreme Court says about his law degree.) A lot of the propaganda against her is recycled GOPer innuendo, which is hardly surprising since we have been saturated with that sickening pap for over 13 long, dreary years now. It is evidently part of the national psyche since democrats are now parroting the Pug jargon. I love Chavez; in fact even though I supported Kerry with enthusiasm, I wrote him that I totally disagreed with his opposition to Chavez. Chavez is just as much a hero as Kerry; he is trying to salvage the lives of the people from the ravages of the rich, who have become wealthy on the backs of the poor and who have been supported by the Bushistas at every step along the way. I saw the outrageous video of the attempt to oust a duly elected Venezuelan government and it made me sick to know that our government was a party to such treason. But then who could be surprised when we are now controlled by Orwellian government of the most fascist kind.