Kidnappings in Venezuela.

AuthorWilliams, Ed
PositionBrief article

KIDNAPPINGS IN VENEZUELA

By Vanessa Neumann, Foreign Policy Research Institute

http://www.fpri.org/enotes/2011/201111.neumann.venezuela.html

Reviewed by Ed Williams, Secretary, American Diplomacy

The November 9th kidnapping and subsequent very speedy rescue of Wilson Ramos, a Venezuelan native and a U.S. major league baseball player, brought international attention to the high Venezuelan crime rate. The Venezuelan government, because of this attention, mounted an unusually massive operation, which liberated Ramos in two days.

Kidnappings have increased dramatically (23 times) during the 13-year rule of Hugo Chavez, and this includes many kidnappings of major league baseball players and their families. Baseball is Venezuela's favorite sport, and many players for U.S. teams are recruited from there.

Other violent crimes are also at a very high level in Venezuela. Its murder rate makes it the most violent country in the hemisphere. The annual global...

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