The state of human rights throughout Venezuelan history and today is the topic discussed by our host Cody Weddle and his guests from the alternative human rights network SurDH, Lucrecia Hernandez and Marieva Caguaripano. During the period known as the Fourth Republic before Hugo Chavez came to power and made sweeping constitutional and social changes, the Venezuelan government did nothing to guarantee labor rights or the political and economic rights of the people. The government was concerned with implementing neoliberal policies at the expense of the needs of the people. This led to the people's uprising known as the Caracazo in 1989, which was violently repressed by the government. Under Hugo Chavez, on the other hand, there was an emphasis on the consequences of human rights violations and compensation for victims. Today SurDH believes in building human rights based on people's power. They do not accept United States sanctions supposedly based on human rights violations, and believe that the sanctions themselves are violations of the rights of the Venezuelan people. teleSUR
