South American News

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The most brutal forms of political repression in Latin America are not confined to the military dictatorships.

Venezuela has a parliamentary political system and even criticised the Chilean regime at the recent conference of the Organisation of American States.

In Venezuela three weeks ago, Jorge Rodriguez, the best known leader of the Socialist League Liga Socialista, sympathising section of the United Secretariat of the Fourth International) was tortured to death by the police.

Rodriguez had been accused of participation in the kidnapping of an American executive, William Niehous. This barbarous murder has made it clear that torture is widespread in 'democratic' Venezuela.

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The parliamentary opposition has, for its own opportunistic reasons, used the murder to embarass the government of Carlos Andres Perez, who has been forced to arrest the police torturers directly responsible for Rodriguez' death.

Meanwhile, the real instigators of the murder are at large still ruling the country.

The new government in Peru is every day giving signs of its extreme right-wing complexion. Relations with the Chilean and Argentinian dictatorships are improving.

A summit of the three dictators is planned for a few weeks' time. The Peruvial generals have expelled Argentinian refugees and closed down exile organisations, which were. critical of the Chilean or Argentinian regimes.

The new government is maintaining the emergency state of siege regulations.

Under them it has arrested leaders of the Fisherman's Federation, who have protested against the return of the nationalised fishing industry to its former owners.

In neighbouring Bolivia, military dictator Banzer has lifted the state of siege imposed for the miners strike; though this is a formality for propaganda purposes since he in no way lacks dictatorial powers, News of the mining areas is under a government blackout. But reports say that there has been a return to work and an imposition of the government's wage offer of a 30% increase (compared with the mare than 1AnO1 damnud.1 t.. Lrminers' union).

But the mineworkers persist with their demands that the military occupation of the mining areas is ended and that arrested and exiled leaders are released.

To this is now added the demand that = 1700 workers reportedly sacked during the strike be reemployed.

General Banzer may have imposed his will through repression in the short run but has almost certainly seen only the beginning of the struggle to destroy his power.

In Argentina, General Videla still fights to impose his own power for the first time in the context of growing divisions within the military dictatorship.

In spite of the blows which the left-wing guerrilla organisations have suffered, it is reliably reported that the left Peronist organisation, the Montoneros (now negotiating a united Argentina Liberation Organisation with the Peoples Revolutionary Army (ERP) and another guerrilla group the Red Brigades of Workers Power (BRPO), were able to hold their own military parades in defiance of the dictatorday, July 9th.

The dictatorship willingly granted the the streets to the sec other South American has more freedom of et police of ictatorships PHOTO: SWP MILITANT the security services of other Wountries, especially Uruguay and Chile, have complete freedom to operate in Argentina against nolitical: refianse from thair

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