Nixon Moreno

Nixon Moreno is a Venezuelan who studied at Los Andes University (ULA); he was leader of the M-13 student group, and former president of the Student Federation. He has been accused of an attempt to rape a local police woman, Sofía Aguilar, and leaving several policemen wounded, -during a police confrontation of a student protest in 2006, led by Moreno, against a Court decision that suspended the election of the Student Federation.^[1] Venezuelan justice has been looking for Moreno since then.

On March 13, 2007, he asked for asylum in the Apostolic Nunciature (Holy See) to avoid capture.^[2] Asylum was granted confidentially on June 11, 2008; and made public in September, 2008.^[3] But Chávez's government did not issue the corresponding safe conduct for Moreno to travel out of Venezuela. On March 9, 2009, Moreno left the Apostolic Nunciature and is currently living in Peru, where he was granted political asylum.

On November 12, 2007, Moreno was granted an ULA degree as a politician, after about 12 years of studying in the ULA; the graduation ceremony was performed in the Apostolic Nunciature.

Political points of views

Due to Venezuela's high political polarization, Moreno is seen as a hero and a victim of political persecution by Chávez opponents; and as a criminal by Chávez followers. Government opponents claim he is being pursued mainly because of his fervent activities against the government. Authorities claim he is pursued because he is accused of attempting to rape Sofía Aguilar, the victim and police officer who identified Moreno as her attacker, which she declared for the state media (Venezolana de Television).^[4] According to journalist Marta Colomina (who opposes Chávez's government), in June, 2006, a National Assembly commission, presided by Deputy Obdulio Camacho (all the National Assembly deputies were elected as Chávez partisans), reportedly concluded that it was untrue that Moreno was the person that tried to rape her.^[5] ULA President, other authorities and TV footage indicate that at the hour of the events denounced by police woman Aguilar, Moreno was in a clinic, at another end of the city, treating a bleeding face wound caused by a plastic shot (which Ms Aguilar did not mention).

On October 7, 2008, ex-police woman Ms Aguilar said in a TV interview,^[6][7] that she "was humiliated by the attitude the Church has taken" by granting asylum to Moreno "without a Church authority asking me first about the events", but she "now does not want the Church to ask anything"; she also indicated that "[Moreno] was with the persons that persecuted me". In September/2008 Ms Aguilar was postulated as candidate for the Mérida State Legislature by the group Tupamaro, an aggressive group firmly supporting Chávez's government. Chávez opponents claim Ms Aguilar is being paid to incriminate Moreno.

Moreno is the only person indicted for the events denounced, even though many other persons were involved. He has been publicly presumed guilty by Chávez. For example, in his Annual Address of the Presidency at the National Assembly in January 2008,^[8][9] transmitted in one of the thousands of "national chains of radio and TV stations" that Chávez has used (a "national chain" is a procedure by which the President can force all the country broadcasting stations to transmit his signal, at any time and for as long as he pleases). In that address Chávez said: "Mr Embassador, ...you have a delinquent [Moreno] protected there [in the Embassy]; you should turn him to the authorities".

See also

• List of people granted political asylum

References

1. Letter from Mérida, Venezuela, on the recent violence.
2. Venezuelan protesters support student seeking refuge in nunciature.
3. Newspaper report, in spanish.
4. Sofía Aguilar's interview (Spanish)
5. Marta Colomina: Criminalizar la Disidencia (Spanish)
6. eReport (Spanish)
7. TV interview, extract (Spanish)
8. 1:11 minute video
9. 7:30 minutes video