Hugo Chavez: Released Gitmo Prisoners Can Come to Venezuela

Human Rights

First he offered aid to the abandoned victims of Hurricane Katrina. Then he offered to cheap oil to America's poor. Now, Venezuelan president Hugo Chavez has offered to take in prisoners released from Guantanamo Bay.


"We wouldn't have any problem in taking in human beings," Chavez told al-Jazeera Wednesday for a special Arabic edition of his TV program "Aló Presidente." He said that the U.S. military should return the territory occupied by the prison base to Cuba and "finish with that miserable prison."

Famous for his bombast and scathing criticism of George W. Bush, Chavez also expressed his hope that President Barack Obama would become "the last president of the (U.S.) empire."

Unsurprisingly, the Obama administration dismissed Chavez's public overture. ''The United States has not received a formal offer through diplomatic channels to resettle detainees to Venezuela, and is not contemplating resettling detainees to Venezuela,'' Dean Boyd, a Justice Department spokesman, told reporters this week.

Understand the importance of honest news ?

So do we.

The past year has been the most arduous of our lives. The Covid-19 pandemic continues to be catastrophic not only to our health - mental and physical - but also to the stability of millions of people. For all of us independent news organizations, it’s no exception.

We’ve covered everything thrown at us this past year and will continue to do so with your support. We’ve always understood the importance of calling out corruption, regardless of political affiliation.

We need your support in this difficult time. Every reader contribution, no matter the amount, makes a difference in allowing our newsroom to bring you the stories that matter, at a time when being informed is more important than ever. Invest with us.

Make a one-time contribution to Alternet All Access, or click here to become a subscriber. Thank you.

Click to donate by check.

DonateDonate by credit card
Donate by Paypal
{{ post.roar_specific_data.api_data.analytics }}
@2022 - AlterNet Media Inc. All Rights Reserved. - "Poynter" fonts provided by fontsempire.com.