A Venezuelan policeman detained men in Caracas recently. Hugo Chávez’s opponent is making crime an issue before an election. Tyler Hicks/The New York TimesFrom The Guardian:
Nearly 3,000 have been killed in the city over the past 12 months amid drug conflicts and kidnaps
The building is painted peach and there are palm trees in front, but there is nothing cheerful about Plaza Auyantepuy. It is a place of death. In the basement, a dungeon-like warren, men in rubber boots and surgical masks swing through the double door every few hours and wheel in another corpse. The earlier arrivals lie on trolleys, turning yellow.
One floor above, relatives of the dead huddle in small, silent groups. Some hold handkerchiefs to their faces to guard against the smell. There is nothing to guard against the grief. This is the national forensic science laboratory in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, and it is the epicentre of a murder epidemic.
'My son left home this morning at 7am. They rang me at 9.15am to say he was shot,' said Genny Cedeno, 38, clutching a photograph of 18-year-old Carlos. Tears welled in her eyes and she shook her head. 'He had a right to live.'
Read more ....
My Comment: 10 years of rule by Hugo Chavez and his followers has resulted in a corrupt and useless police force and legal system. With people be
Nearly 3,000 have been killed in the city over the past 12 months amid drug conflicts and kidnaps
The building is painted peach and there are palm trees in front, but there is nothing cheerful about Plaza Auyantepuy. It is a place of death. In the basement, a dungeon-like warren, men in rubber boots and surgical masks swing through the double door every few hours and wheel in another corpse. The earlier arrivals lie on trolleys, turning yellow.
One floor above, relatives of the dead huddle in small, silent groups. Some hold handkerchiefs to their faces to guard against the smell. There is nothing to guard against the grief. This is the national forensic science laboratory in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, and it is the epicentre of a murder epidemic.
'My son left home this morning at 7am. They rang me at 9.15am to say he was shot,' said Genny Cedeno, 38, clutching a photograph of 18-year-old Carlos. Tears welled in her eyes and she shook her head. 'He had a right to live.'
Read more ....
My Comment: 10 years of rule by Hugo Chavez and his followers has resulted in a corrupt and useless police force and legal system. With people be
One floor above, relatives of the dead huddle in small, silent groups. Some hold handkerchiefs to their faces to guard against the smell. There is nothing to guard against the grief. This is the national forensic science laboratory in Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, and it is the epicentre of a murder epidemic.
'My son left home this morning at 7am. They rang me at 9.15am to say he was shot,' said Genny Cedeno, 38, clutching a photograph of 18-year-old Carlos. Tears welled in her eyes and she shook her head. 'He had a right to live.'
Read more ....
My Comment: 10 years of rule by Hugo Chavez and his followers has resulted in a corrupt and useless police force and legal system. With people being appointed to the legal bench/police force because of political and ideological loyalties .... the rule of law has now taken a back seat.
The consequences of these actions are now becoming evident .... no respect for the law results in social and community breakdown. Crime being the most evident feature.
'My son left home this morning at 7am. They rang me at 9.15am to say he was shot,' said Genny Cedeno, 38, clutching a photograph of 18-year-old Carlos. Tears welled in her eyes and she shook her head. 'He had a right to live.'
Read more ....
My Comment: 10 years of rule by Hugo Chavez and his followers has resulted in a corrupt and useless police force and legal system. With people being appointed to the legal bench/police force because of political and ideological loyalties .... the rule of law has now taken a back seat.
The consequences of these actions are now becoming evident .... no respect for the law results in social and community breakdown. Crime being the most evident feature.