February 10, 2005
Venezuelan President vetoes reform of penal code

(Associated Press Newswires) - "Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez has vetoed a reform of the country's penal code that would make noisy protests against government officials a crime, returning the legislation to congress for further refining, a lawmaker said.

Opposition lawmaker Carlos Tablante said Chávez objected to various articles and asked the National Assembly to reconsider the wording of passages including one that would set jail sentences for a popular form of protest involving banging on pots and pans, called a 'cacerolazo' (...)

The Venezuelan newspaper El Universal reported the veto, saying Chávez argued his objection in a 14-page document.

According to what the newspaper said was a copy of the document, Chávez said parts of the reform were 'unconstitutional' and would lead to an excessive population increase in the already-overcrowded prisons.

The daily said he also took issue with passages dealing with 'cacerolazo' protests and spreading false information intended to create panic, among other things.

'The guarantee exists in our constitutional system that no repressive measure can be adopted regarding fundamental human rights such as liberty', El Universal said, quoting the document. 'In Venezuela, those charged with a crime enjoy rights to due process'. (...)

Under the code approved by legislators, 'cacerolazo' protests would be punished with fines and one to two months in jail (...)".