CARACAS, Thursday July 02, 2009 | Update
Economy
Freedom Watch, a US non-governmental organization (NGO), announced on Thursday that it has formally notified the Venezuelan-run oil company Citgo about the class action filed against Venezuelan President, Hugo Chávez, for alleged acts of terrorism and violation of human rights.
Larry Klayman, founder and President of Freedom Watch, said that the Venezuelan government has 20 days to respond the lawsuit filed last April in a Miami court on behalf of the Venezuelan journalist Ricardo Guanipa who qualified for political asylum in the US since 2005.
The lawsuit was filed against Chávez, several government officials and against Citgo, a wholly-owned subsidiary in the United States of the state-owned oil company Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. (Pdvsa).
Freedom Watch, a conservative political advocacy group dedicated to preserving civil liberties and human rights, had already announced in April that it is seeking a USD 5 billion compensation for punitive damages, Efe reported.
01:06 PM. Human Rights. The Venezuelan Judiciary failed to solve the case of farmer Franklin Brito and, from the point of view of domestic law, all legal resources have been used. Therefore, the heirs of the deceased farmer must resort to different international human rights bodies to seek the justice they have not received in their country, according to lawyer Gonzalo Himiob, a member of NGO Foro Penal Venezolano. Brito's relatives agree.