Canvasopedia

President Hugo Chavez's government says Julio Cesar Rivas is a violent militant intent on fomenting civil war. Rivas' supporters say the 22-year-old university student is just one of many Venezuelans jailed for challenging a populist government that they contend is increasingly intolerant of dissent.
As the Chavez government approaches 11 years in power, many of its most prominent opponents are in exile in foreign countries or under criminal investigation here.
But human rights and legal policy groups say that even more worrisome is the growing number of government foes in jail for what they allege are politically motivated reasons. There are more than 40 political prisoners in Venezuela, and 2,000 Chavez opponents are under investigation, the groups and human rights lawyers say.

"The government tries to defend itself by saying it has politicians who are prisoners," said Teodoro Petkoff, a newspaper editor critical of Chavez. "But however you label them, they are people who are prisoners for political reasons."
Chavez administration officials contend that politics is not a motivating factor in the arrests and that the prisoners, political opponents or not, violated criminal code.
The arrests come in a year in which the number of anti-government demonstrations has grown dramatically in Caracas, the capital, and other major cities. In the first eight months of this year, 2,079 demonstrations took place, up from 1,602 in 2008, according to a recent study by Provea, a human rights organization, and Public Space, a policy group that monitors free speech issues. Nearly 500 people were hurt and 440 were detained, the study said.
Venezuela's chief prosecutor, Luisa Ortega, warned at the end of August that such demonstrations were "in effect, criminal civil rebellion." She said protesters could be charged with crimes carrying prison terms of up to 24 years.

Text: http://www.startribune.com/world/63899847.html?elr=KArks:DCiUBcy7hUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU