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						14 June 2005					
 
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													Hands Off Venezuela											
 
											
					
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A group of about 40 activists protested outside the US embassy in London on 
Monday, June 13, demanding that Washington accepts the extradition request for 
Posada Carriles to Venezuela.  Cuban-Venezuelan Luis 
Posada is wanted for blowing up an airliner in 1976, killing 73 people. He was 
arrested last month in the US, which is refusing to hand him over to Venezuela, 
where he escaped from jail. His partner in crime, Orlando Bosch, was given a 
presidential pardon by Bush the Elder and now lives in Miami, where they have 
named a street after him. 
 
The protest picket, called jointly by Hands Off Venezuela, the Bolivian 
Solidarity Campaign and the Colombia Solidarity Campaign, also highlighted the 
hypocrisy of the US administration when it comes to dealing with 
"terrorists". 
In Colombia this year a total of seven US soldiers (including a colonel) have 
been arrested for, between them, selling ammunition to right-wing paramilitaries 
and attempting to smuggle cocaine into the US. Before the Colombian judiciary 
could blink, they were whisked out of the country to prevent further 
embarrassment and have not yet been charged with any crime. 
Gonzalo 
Sanchez de Lozada used to be President of Bolivia, before he ordered the 
massacre of peaceful protesters in 2003 and fled to Miami to escape the furious 
backlash. Bolivians want him tried for crimes against humanity, but that doesn't 
seem likely while he's protected by the US government, who immediately granted 
him political asylum. 
The picket had been organised to coincide 
with an immigration 
hearing in El Paso, Texas, to decide Posada's fate. The case has become a major 
headache for George Bush, as Posada is hailed as a hero amongst the rich 
right-wing Castro-hating Miami Cubans who form a key component of his (and 
especially his brother's) base of support. However, refusal to extradite Posada 
will clearly make a mockery of the whole "War on Terror".
 
 
  A group of about 40 activists protested outside the US embassy in London on 
Monday, June 13, demanding that Washington accepts the extradition request for 
Posada Carriles to Venezuela.  Cuban-Venezuelan Luis 
Posada is wanted for blowing up an airliner in 1976, killing 73 people. He was 
arrested last month in the US, which is refusing to hand him over to Venezuela, 
where he escaped from jail. His partner in crime, Orlando Bosch, was given a 
presidential pardon by Bush the Elder and now lives in Miami, where they have 
named a street after him. 
 
The protest picket, called jointly by Hands Off Venezuela, the Bolivian 
Solidarity Campaign and the Colombia Solidarity Campaign, also highlighted the 
hypocrisy of the US administration when it comes to dealing with 
"terrorists". 
In Colombia this year a total of seven US soldiers (including a colonel) have 
been arrested for, between them, selling ammunition to right-wing paramilitaries 
and attempting to smuggle cocaine into the US. Before the Colombian judiciary 
could blink, they were whisked out of the country to prevent further 
embarrassment and have not yet been charged with any crime. 
Gonzalo 
Sanchez de Lozada used to be President of Bolivia, before he ordered the 
massacre of peaceful protesters in 2003 and fled to Miami to escape the furious 
backlash. Bolivians want him tried for crimes against humanity, but that doesn't 
seem likely while he's protected by the US government, who immediately granted 
him political asylum. 
The picket had been organised to coincide 
with an immigration 
hearing in El Paso, Texas, to decide Posada's fate. The case has become a major 
headache for George Bush, as Posada is hailed as a hero amongst the rich 
right-wing Castro-hating Miami Cubans who form a key component of his (and 
especially his brother's) base of support. However, refusal to extradite Posada 
will clearly make a mockery of the whole "War on Terror".