On April 11, 2002, Venezuela experienced a military coup d'etat against the democratically elected President, Hugo Chavez; a counter coup led by popular movements reinstated Chavez to the country's leadership.
Although the coup against President Chávez in April failed, democracy in Venezuela remains at risk. The possibility of violent unrest, including another coup attempt, is very real. Eighteen people were killed and 150-185 people were injured, some quite seriously, during the April 11 protest march. Between April 12-14, another forty to sixty people were killed. Much of this violence was associated with the widespread looting and protesting which took place during that period. Many of the victims who died were the poor, in the western area of Caracas.
Alvarez, Carmelo
Venezuela
Carmelo Alvarez serves the Latin American Evangelical Pentecostal Commission (CEPLA) and the Evangelical Pentecostal Union of Venezuela (UEPV) based in Chicago, Illinois. He works as program consultant and visiting professor for the CEPLA and the UEPV.
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