ELVIA GOMEZ
EL UNIVERSAL

Spokespersons for several political parties Wednesday rejected the murder of the Faddoul brothers Jason (12), Kevin (13) and Bryan (17) and their driver Miguel Rivas (30) after they were kidnapped for 40 days.

Different sectors agreed to blame Hugo Chávez' Government for failing to ensure the physical integrity of Venezuelans and allowing growing impunity.

"The Government has to make a big effort to respond to the collective's indignation," said opposition Copei party former president Eduardo Fernández, claiming that Chávez administration is incapable of guaranteeing Venezuelans' lives.

Opposition Primero Justicia party leader and mayor of Baruta municipality Henrique Capriles Radonsky said he expected this murder awakes the military so that they stop turning a blind eye on the Government insistence in spending money in weapons to fight US President George W. Bush.

During a demonstration Wednesday outside the Ministry of the Interior and Justice, Capriles reminded that 100,000 people have been killed in five years in Venezuela. He claimed that police corps do not record executions as murders.

Opposition MAS party Pedro Castillo rejected the fact that the minister of the Interior and Justice Jesse Chacón attempted to "criminalize" Venezuelans for attributing high crimes rates to the Government incapacity.

"Citizens do not have anyone who protects them, and besides, the police corps -which are supposed to protect them- are plagued with people who are involved in crimes," said Castillo. "Six Caracas Metropolitan Police officers are said to be involved in this case, but the only thing we have heard about that is that they have not showed up to work."

Opposition AD party leader Nelson Lara said "the culprit of the murder of Faddoul brothers, their driver Miguel Rivas, (Italian-Venezuelan businessman) Filippo Sindoni, and three university students killed in (west Caracas poor neighborhood) Kennedy, and most 12,000 murders recorded in Venezuela each year is Chávez indirectly. He has built a State linked to crime. He introduced criminals to politics."

Opposition Venezuela de Primera party leader Roberto Smith said "this monstrous crime shows that deep social decay is hitting the country's foundations and making families more vulnerable than ever. Nobody feels safe in the face of this lack of governance and the prevalence of impunity."

"Citizens have lost confidence in institutions, especially in police corps," Smith added.
egomez@eluniversal.com

Translated by Maryflor Suárez R.