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Human Rights Developments Defending Human Rights The Role of the International Community United Nations In November 1999, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child published its concluding observation on Venezuela's report on implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child. The committee expressed its concern about "alleged cases of killings of children during anti-crime operations." It also expressed concern about "the persistent allegations about children being detained in conditions which amount to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment, and about children being physically ill-treated by members of the police or the armed forces." Organization of American States The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights brokered a friendly settlement between relatives of the victims of a 1992 massacre in the prison of Catia and the Venezuelan government. It included a promise by the government to carry out several important prison reforms. United States The Clinton administration continued to treat Chávez and his "peaceful revolution" with caution, and did not comment on human rights, except in the annual State Department Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1999. The report concluded that "although there were improvements in some areas, serious problems remain." In a letter to U.S. Ambassador John Maisto, Venezuelan Foreign Minister José Vicente Rangel criticized the report for being out-of-date and unilateral, and said that it did not fairly reflect the political changes occurring in the country. The United States objected to President Chávez's visit with Iraqi President Saddam Hussein in August. Chávez was the first head of state to visit Baghdad since the Gulf War. Chávez claimed that the visit was related only to Venezuela's role as a member of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC). |
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