Ramón Rodríguez Chacín
Encyclopedia
Ramón Rodríguez Chacín is a Venezuela
n politician
. A retired naval officer, he was Minister of the Interior and Justice in 2002, and again in 2008. He took part in the November 1992 coup attempt.
and counter-intelligence
tactics while serving in the military of Venezuela
. He graduated from the Venezuelan Naval School in 1970.
(FARC) and National Liberation Army (Colombia)
(ELN) guerrillas.
' February 1992 attempted coup). Rodríguez Chacín was jailed and served two years on charges of treason
and rebellion
.
as president of Venezuela in 1999, Rodríguez Chacín worked as his intelligence
chief.
.
, designed to fly into Colombia
and receive three Colombian hostages held by the FARC in the jungles as part of a plan to push the Colombian government for a humanitarian exchange
of hostages for prisoners.
According to the Los Angeles Times
, the videotaped coverage of the hostage release showed minister Rodriguez Chacín telling FARC rebels "We are with you... Be strong. We are following your cause."
Rodriguez Chacín, the Minister of Interior and Justice, stepped down on September 8, 2008: "For strictly personal grounds, I have decided to leave my job. President Hugo Chávez
, our Commander-in-Chief has decided that the new interim Minister will be my colleague and comrade, Tarek El Aissami
" (who is now deputy minister of citizen security).
reported in 2008 that Rodriguez Chacín was a frequent guest at FARC camps in Colombia
and that Hugo Chavez had assigned him the task of managing communications with FARC. In September 2008, The U.S. Department of the Treasury accused Rodriguez Chacín of materially assisting FARC's narcotics trafficking activities; the Venezuelan government said he was not guilty of those charges.
US intelligence officials claimed that in an email between Rodriguez Chacín and the FARC leadership that he asked to train Venezuela's military in guerrilla tactics as preparation in case the United States invades. They also claimed that regarding an alleged 250 million dollar Venezuelan loan to buy weapons, Rodriguez Chacín wrote: "don't think of it as a loan, think of it as solidarity". The source for these documents was allegedly a 2008 cross-border raid by Colombian military into Ecuador
which destroyed a FARC camp. Venezuelan Ambassador to the United States Bernardo Alvarez stated, "We don't recognized the validity of any of these documents... They are false, and an attempt to discredit the Venezuelan government."
Venezuela
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 politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
. A retired naval officer, he was Minister of the Interior and Justice in 2002, and again in 2008. He took part in the November 1992 coup attempt.
Early years
Rodríguez Chacín specialized in counter-insurgencyCounter-insurgency
A counter-insurgency or counterinsurgency involves actions taken by the recognized government of a nation to contain or quell an insurgency taken up against it...
and counter-intelligence
Counter-intelligence
Counterintelligence or counter-intelligence refers to efforts made by intelligence organizations to prevent hostile or enemy intelligence organizations from successfully gathering and collecting intelligence against them. National intelligence programs, and, by extension, the overall defenses of...
tactics while serving in the military of Venezuela
Military of Venezuela
The National Armed Forces of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela are the overall unified military forces of Venezuela. It includes over 129,150 men and women, under Article 328 of the Constitution, in 5 components of Ground, Sea and Air...
. He graduated from the Venezuelan Naval School in 1970.
Cejap
Rodríguez Chacín was one of the founders of the Comando Específico José Antonio Páez (Cejap), an elite group of police and military forces intended to fight Revolutionary Armed Forces of ColombiaRevolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia
The Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia – People's Army is a Marxist–Leninist revolutionary guerrilla organization based in Colombia which is involved in the ongoing Colombian armed conflict, currently involved in drug dealing and crimes against the civilians..FARC-EP is a peasant army which...
(FARC) and National Liberation Army (Colombia)
National Liberation Army (Colombia)
National Liberation Army is a revolutionary, avowed Marxist guerrilla group that has been operating in several regions of Colombia since 1964....
(ELN) guerrillas.
1992 Coup d'état attempts
On November 27, 1992, Rodriguez Chacín was involved in the November 1992 attempted coup d'etat (not to be confused with Hugo ChavezHugo 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...
' February 1992 attempted coup). Rodríguez Chacín was jailed and served two years on charges of treason
Treason
In law, treason is the crime that covers some of the more extreme acts against one's sovereign or nation. Historically, treason also covered the murder of specific social superiors, such as the murder of a husband by his wife. Treason against the king was known as high treason and treason against a...
and rebellion
Rebellion
Rebellion, uprising or insurrection, is a refusal of obedience or order. It may, therefore, be seen as encompassing a range of behaviors aimed at destroying or replacing an established authority such as a government or a head of state...
.
Hugo Chávez government
With the election of Hugo ChávezHugo 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...
as president of Venezuela in 1999, Rodríguez Chacín worked as his intelligence
Intelligence (information gathering)
Intelligence assessment is the development of forecasts of behaviour or recommended courses of action to the leadership of an organization, based on a wide range of available information sources both overt and covert. Assessments are developed in response to requirements declared by the leadership...
chief.
Minister of the Interior (I)
Rodriguez Chacín was Minister of the Interior in 2002 (from January), being replaced in May 2002 by Diosdado CabelloDiosdado Cabello
Diosdado Cabello Rondón is a Venezuelan politician. A former member of the armed forces, he was involved in Hugo Chávez's February 1992 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt. He became a leading member of Chavez's Movimiento V República , and remains a leading member of the United Socialist Party of...
.
Operation Emmanuel
In 2007 Rodríguez Chacín played a key role in organizing Operation EmmanuelOperation Emmanuel
Operation Emmanuel was a humanitarian operation that rescued politician Clara Rojas, her son Emmanuel , and former senator Consuelo González from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia in Colombia. The operation was proposed and set up by Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, with the permission...
, designed to fly into 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...
and receive three Colombian hostages held by the FARC in the jungles as part of a plan to push the Colombian government for a humanitarian exchange
Humanitarian exchange
The Humanitarian Exchange or Humanitarian Accord refers to the possible accord to exchange hostages for prisoners between the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia guerrilla group and the Government of Colombia....
of hostages for prisoners.
According to the Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, the videotaped coverage of the hostage release showed minister Rodriguez Chacín telling FARC rebels "We are with you... Be strong. We are following your cause."
Release of Polanco, Gechem, Beltran and Perez
In January 2008 another liberation of four Colombian hostages by the FARC was managed by Rodríguez Chacín.Minister of the Interior (II)
Rodriguez Chacín was appointed Minister of the Interior for a second time in January 2008, replacing Pedro Carreño.Rodriguez Chacín, the Minister of Interior and Justice, stepped down on September 8, 2008: "For strictly personal grounds, I have decided to leave my job. President Hugo Chávez
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...
, our Commander-in-Chief has decided that the new interim Minister will be my colleague and comrade, Tarek El Aissami
Tarek El Aissami
Tarek El Aissami is a Venezuelan politician. As of 2009, he is the interior minister and justice minister of Venezuela. He was previously deputy minister in the same ministry, and a member of the National Assembly of Venezuela.-References:...
" (who is now deputy minister of citizen security).
Allegations of links to FARC
The German magazine Der SpiegelDer Spiegel
Der Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
reported in 2008 that Rodriguez Chacín was a frequent guest at FARC camps in 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...
and that Hugo Chavez had assigned him the task of managing communications with FARC. In September 2008, The U.S. Department of the Treasury accused Rodriguez Chacín of materially assisting FARC's narcotics trafficking activities; the Venezuelan government said he was not guilty of those charges.
US intelligence officials claimed that in an email between Rodriguez Chacín and the FARC leadership that he asked to train Venezuela's military in guerrilla tactics as preparation in case the United States invades. They also claimed that regarding an alleged 250 million dollar Venezuelan loan to buy weapons, Rodriguez Chacín wrote: "don't think of it as a loan, think of it as solidarity". The source for these documents was allegedly a 2008 cross-border raid by Colombian military into Ecuador
2008 Andean diplomatic crisis
The 2008 Andean diplomatic crisis was a diplomatic stand-off between the South American countries of Ecuador, Colombia and Venezuela. It began with an incursion into Ecuadorian territory across the Putumayo River by the Colombian military on March 1, 2008, leading to the deaths of over twenty...
which destroyed a FARC camp. Venezuelan Ambassador to the United States Bernardo Alvarez stated, "We don't recognized the validity of any of these documents... They are false, and an attempt to discredit the Venezuelan government."