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Chavez reverses course on
citizen spying rules
REUTERS
Monday, June 9, 2008
Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he would scrap new rules
that oblige citizens to spy on each other, backing down after
an outcry from the opposition, rights groups and the Roman Catholic
Church.
"Nobody can oblige me to turn into a snitch -- nobody,"
Chavez said on his Sunday TV show. "To err is human. We made
a mistake and we have to correct the law ... We will never trample
on the rights of Venezuelans -- no matter what their politics
-- never."
An intelligence law decreed last month fueled criticism that
Chavez -- who calls ex-Cuban President leader Fidel Castro his
mentor -- wants to imitate the communist island's political system
in Venezuela.
The former paratrooper, who says he is preparing Venezuela against
a possible U.S. invasion, responded with a promise to issue a
new decree.
(Article continues below)
At times, Chavez has pushed forward with widely unpopular measures,
such as when he shut down the last national TV network critical
of his policies last year. In December, he also lost a referendum
aimed at extending his powers and turning the OPEC nation into
a socialist state.
But the president, who has been in office since 1999, has also
shown he can heed criticism. Several times he has started reform
the education system, only to give up in the face of objections
he was imposing his politics on children.
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