World : Caracas Restores Some Civil Rights

The government today restored some civil liberties, including the right to hold public protests, which were suspended Feb. 28 to quell nationwide violence that killed more than 250 people.

Military personnel will continue to patrol main avenues in Caracas and other cities until “the situation is totally normalized,” said Pastor Heydra, director of the Central Information Office. The rights restored today include press freedom; the right to gather and protest in public, and the right to travel inside and out of Venezuela. Rioting and looting broke out across the country Feb. 27 after public transportation fares were increased as part of a government austerity program.