Putative Venezuelan coup attempt of 2004
Encyclopedia
The putative Venezuelan coup of 2004 was a hypothesized plot to overthrow Hugo Chávez
, who is the current President of Venezuela. According to Chávez and his supporters, the capture of several dozen individuals in May 2004 and other developments prove the existence of the purported coup plot, while the anti-Chávez opposition discounts the notion that any deeper meaning can be imputed to the raid and capture of the Colombian detainees or to other events.
n police raided a ranch in Baruta, which is situated on the outskirts of the Venezuelan capital of Caracas
. A total of fifty-five Colombia
n men were arrested. The raided ranch was owned by Roberto Alonso
, a Cuban exile
active in the anti-Castro
movement and a leader of the Venezuelan opposition group Bloque Democrático. Shortly thereafter, they arrested 71 more men at a neighboring ranch that was owned by Gustavo Cisneros
, another outspoken Cuban-Venezuelan Chávez opponent. On the night of 2 August 2004, members of the National Guard and the Disip raided the ranch "El Conuco" (property of a prominent anti-castrista lawyer exiled in Florida) searching for stolen military armament presumably meant to be used in the aborted coup d'état, but nothing was found.
s to work on the farm. Upon their arrival at the farm, however, they were told that they instead would need to prepare for an attack on a Venezuelan National Guard base. The goal of the putative attack was allegedly to steal weapons and fully arm a 3,000-member militia
.
On 25 October 2005, a Venezuelan military tribunal found 27 of the men guilty, sentencing them to six years in jail, and ordered the release and deportation of the other 73 Colombians. Three out of the six Venezuelan military officers were also condemned by the tribunal.
-based Commandos F4. Rodolfo Frometa, the Commandos F4 leader, said that his group was ready to carry out violent attacks against the Cuban government. Former Venezuelan army captain Eduardo García described the help he received from Commandos F4 to organize similar violent actions against the Chávez government. According to the TV program maker Randy Alonso, the US government would have recently earmarked $36 million to support such paramilitary groups. U.S. officials and opposition figures in Venezuela have dismissed this claim. Alonso himself went into hiding, and many media reports (including his official website) stated that he had fled the country.
The 27 Colombian convicts who were sentenced in October 2005 were among those pardoned and deported to Colombia with the exception of those being investigated for homicide (a corpse was found in the ranch where the men were captured).
Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías is the 56th and current President of Venezuela, having held that position since 1999. He was formerly the leader of the Fifth Republic Movement political party from its foundation in 1997 until 2007, when he became the leader of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela...
, who is the current President of Venezuela. According to Chávez and his supporters, the capture of several dozen individuals in May 2004 and other developments prove the existence of the purported coup plot, while the anti-Chávez opposition discounts the notion that any deeper meaning can be imputed to the raid and capture of the Colombian detainees or to other events.
Baruta and Guigue raids and the capture of Colombians
On 9 May 2004, VenezuelaVenezuela
Venezuela , officially called the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela , is a tropical country on the northern coast of South America. It borders Colombia to the west, Guyana to the east, and Brazil to the south...
n police raided a ranch in Baruta, which is situated on the outskirts of the Venezuelan capital of Caracas
Caracas
Caracas , officially Santiago de León de Caracas, is the capital and largest city of Venezuela; natives or residents are known as Caraquenians in English . It is located in the northern part of the country, following the contours of the narrow Caracas Valley on the Venezuelan coastal mountain range...
. A total of fifty-five Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n men were arrested. The raided ranch was owned by Roberto Alonso
Roberto Alonso
Roberto Alonso is a Cuban expatriate, anti-communist, anti-Castro, anti-Chávez, who lives in Florida, United States.- External links :* by Janine Zeitlin...
, a Cuban exile
Cuban exile
The term "Cuban exile" refers to the many Cubans who have sought alternative political or economic conditions outside the island, dating back to the Ten Years' War and the struggle for Cuban independence during the 19th century...
active in the anti-Castro
Fidel Castro
Fidel Alejandro Castro Ruz is a Cuban revolutionary and politician, having held the position of Prime Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976, and then President from 1976 to 2008. He also served as the First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba from the party's foundation in 1961 until 2011...
movement and a leader of the Venezuelan opposition group Bloque Democrático. Shortly thereafter, they arrested 71 more men at a neighboring ranch that was owned by Gustavo Cisneros
Gustavo Cisneros
Gustavo A. Cisneros Rendiles is a Venezuelan media mogul of Cuban descent. He is among the world's richest men according to Forbes magazine, which estimated his fortune at $4.2 billion in 2010 The New York Times calls Cisneros, "one of Latin America’s most powerful figures" and says he and his...
, another outspoken Cuban-Venezuelan Chávez opponent. On the night of 2 August 2004, members of the National Guard and the Disip raided the ranch "El Conuco" (property of a prominent anti-castrista lawyer exiled in Florida) searching for stolen military armament presumably meant to be used in the aborted coup d'état, but nothing was found.
State: Colombia's Paramilitary Culture Reaching into Venezuela
One of the detainees allegedly stated that they had been offered 500,000 Colombian pesoColombian peso
The peso is the currency of Colombia. Its ISO 4217 code is COP and it is also informally abbreviated as COL$. However, the official peso symbol is $. As 20 July 2011, the exchange rate of the Colombian peso is 1750 Colombian pesos to 1 U.S. dollar.-History:The peso has been the currency of Colombia...
s to work on the farm. Upon their arrival at the farm, however, they were told that they instead would need to prepare for an attack on a Venezuelan National Guard base. The goal of the putative attack was allegedly to steal weapons and fully arm a 3,000-member militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
.
Accused: We're victims of entrapment and foul play
According to opposition spokespersons and some of the people arrested, many of the Colombian nationals were merely unemployed and impoverished peasants. The family of an arrested Venezuelan National Guard Captain gave interviews to the opposition press, denouncing the arrests as political persecution against those who weren't interested in the Venezuelan revolutionary process. He was said not to be recognized when he was presented to the Colombian detainees. Some women and underaged children were also included among those captured suspected paramilitaries. The latter were speedily repatriated to Colombia by Venezuelan authorities. The men were caught wearing Venezuelan Army uniforms. Six Venezuelan military officers (including known members of opposition paramilitaries) were also reported to be in custody.Criminal Trials and Sentencing
During the judicial process, the number of the accused shrunk to 100 as several of the alleged paramilitaries were deported or collaborated with Venezuelan authorities. In October 2005, the Venezuelan prosecution asked for a sentence of six years for 57 to 62 of the alleged paramilitaries, while desisting to condemn between 38 and 43 of the men, which were considered to have been led to Venezuela under false pretenses and/or had apparently suffered mistreatment from the alleged coup plotters.On 25 October 2005, a Venezuelan military tribunal found 27 of the men guilty, sentencing them to six years in jail, and ordered the release and deportation of the other 73 Colombians. Three out of the six Venezuelan military officers were also condemned by the tribunal.
Miami-Caracas Connection; "F4 Commandos"
In June 2004, a Cuban Miami TV channel broadcast a program featuring the FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
-based Commandos F4. Rodolfo Frometa, the Commandos F4 leader, said that his group was ready to carry out violent attacks against the Cuban government. Former Venezuelan army captain Eduardo García described the help he received from Commandos F4 to organize similar violent actions against the Chávez government. According to the TV program maker Randy Alonso, the US government would have recently earmarked $36 million to support such paramilitary groups. U.S. officials and opposition figures in Venezuela have dismissed this claim. Alonso himself went into hiding, and many media reports (including his official website) stated that he had fled the country.
Presidential Pardons
In August 2007, Hugo Chávez granted a presidential pardon to 41 Colombian convicts who were not involved in "human rights violations or war crimes".The 27 Colombian convicts who were sentenced in October 2005 were among those pardoned and deported to Colombia with the exception of those being investigated for homicide (a corpse was found in the ranch where the men were captured).