Hugo Chávez says reports of massacre were used to harm election prospects

Venezuelan president accuses media of exaggerating reports of deaths of Yanomami Indians

Hugo Chávez is expected to win a presidential election in October. Photograph: Jorge Silva/Reuters

Hugo Chávez has claimed reports of a massacre of 80 Yanomami Indians were hyped to damage him before next month's presidential election. After a government investigation into the alleged killing by goldminers turned up nothing, the Venezuelan president said the issue had been exaggerated by news organisations and the opposition to score political points.

"As soon as someone says something, or an NGO puts out some document, they [local and international media] take it and if it harms Chávez they say publish it, on the front page, for several days … and spice it up," he told a press conference. The allegations – publicised by Survival International and based on testimony by Yanomami – were that villagers had been firebombed and shot in July by illegal goldminers from Brazil. Officials say they found no evidence to support these claims at Irathotheri, where the killings were said to have taken place.

"We visited all of the surrounding communities. I personally spoke to the chief of Irathotheri and he told me everything was fine … When there is mining you see the forest destroyed. I saw nothing of this," said the minister for indigenous affairs, Nicia Maldonado. "I had been saying there was no massacre all along but there are people who wanted to blame the president and destroy the revolution, but the revolution and president Chávez have been strengthened by this."

With the issue highly politicised before the 7 October election, NGOs and indigenous groups remain sceptical that officials visited all the remote villages where the killings might have taken place. They have issued a statement demanding a more thorough and transparent investigation. The government of Brazil had earlier called for clarity about what happened.

"Our team on the ground has said that the government has not conducted a full investigation in the community itself," said Sarah Shanker of Survival International in Brazil. "We are just one month into the elections so it is quite possible that people on either side are using this to their advantages … It is such a remote area that it might take a really long time for the truth come out," she said.

Massacre allegations were among dire news for the Chávez administration in August that included a prison riot, a deadly blast in a refinery and the collapse of an interstate bridge linking the capital toVenezuela's eastern region. But most polls suggest the president is on course for victory. Datanalisis gave Chávez a 14.3-point lead over the opposition candidate Henrique Capriles after a two-point widening of the gap in August. Chávez claimed on Tuesday it was now "mathematically impossible" for him to lose the election. But there is a huge divergence in the forecasts. One poll suggests Capriles may be ahead by a fraction.

The president's health – which was the dominant issue early in the campaign – remains a concern, but Chávez has maintained a vigorous campaign schedule and a strong ideological rhetoric, mixed with occasional off-the-cuff remarks including comments on Tuesday about his admiration for Hollywood hardmen such as Clint Eastwood and Sean Connery.

"One time I was given a collection of films by Clint Eastwood and I spent about a month hardly sleeping since I was watching one every night after work," he said. "I never missed a 007 film by Sean Connery and The Hunt for Red October was a tremendous film, even if it ends with the Yankee empire on top."

Eastwood recently appeared at the Republican Convention, where he criticised the US president, Barack Obama. Chávez said this was unsurprising as Eastwood was a "great actor but a man of the right".

"Obama's response was very wise. He said: 'I admire Clint Eastwood, and whoever is offended easily should seek another profession,'" the Venezuelan president added.

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Ditulis oleh: Unknown - Thursday, September 6, 2012