Claims that judicial independence in Venezuela fades

El Universal: The case of suspended 31st Control Judge of the Caracas Metropolitan Area Maria Lourdes Afiuni continues to ignite criticism against Venezuela's Attorney General, the Supreme Court of Justice (TSJ) and the President Hugo Chavez' government in international fora. On Friday, the President of the Bar Association of Brazil, Ophir Filgueiras Cavalcanti, said that this case highlights the "lack of judicial independence in Venezuela," adding that the country has "a lot of restrictions on freedoms."

The lawyer's statement came as part of a status report about Venezuelan justice. The document claimed that Afiuni's rights were violated, particularly the presumption of innocence, when President Chavez called her a "bandit" and asked for her imprisonment for 30 years.

Former Attorney General of the State of Sao Paulo Belisario dos Santos, one of the authors of the report, highlighted what he called the " Afiuni effect." He explained that such effect results in a "state of fear and even terror among other judges of Venezuela, who fear that if their rulings are contrary to the plans of the political power, they may suffer the same fate as Judge Afiuni."


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