Obama: U.S. Monitoring Political Crackdown In Venezuela

[HuffingtonPost]

May 3 (Reuters) - The United States is watching "crackdowns  on the opposition" in Venezuela, President Barack Obama said in  a television interview aired on Friday when asked if he  considered newly elected Nicolas Maduro to be the country's  legitimate president.                

Maduro, elected in April by a narrow margin, earlier this  year accused the United States of seeking to kill opposition  leader Henrique Capriles to stir chaos and spark a coup.  Maduro's mentor and predecessor, the late Hugo Chavez, was one  of the world's most vocal critics of the United States.                

"I think that the entire hemisphere has been watching the  violence, the protests, the crackdowns on the opposition," Obama  said in the interview with Univision News during a trip to  Mexico. "I think our general view has been that it's up to the  people of Venezuela to choose their leaders in legitimate  elections."                

Opposition-led protests the day after the April 14 vote  turned violent and, according to the government, caused nine  deaths. Maduro accused Capriles of trying to start a coup  against him.                

The opposition says officials exaggerated the violence, and  some of the deaths were caused by common crime. It accuses the  government of persecuting state employees who voted for  Capriles, and arresting some activists, in what it calls a wave  of repression.                

"Our approach to the entire hemisphere is not ideological.  It's not rooted back in the Cold War. It's based on the notion  of our basic principles of human rights and democracy and  freedom of press and freedom of assembly. Are those being  observed?" Obama said.                

"There are reports that they have not been fully observed  post-election," he added. "I think our only interest at this  point is making sure that the people of Venezuela are able to  determine their own destiny free from the kinds of practices  that the entire hemisphere generally has moved away from."                

Obama held up Mexico's peaceful transition from a  conservative to a centrist government last year, and flagged  examples in Colombia, Chile and Peru.                

The United States angered Maduro when it last month held  back recognition of his narrow victory over  Capriles.      (Reporting by Steve Holland and Mark Felsenthal; Writing by  Simon Gardner; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)

Via: HuffingtonPost