



Abby Martin spoke to human rights attorney Dan Kovalik, who has recently returned from both countries.





As he said:





These two countries are side by side: Colombia, which is the top ally of the US in the region, and Venezuela, which , since 1999, been trying to go on its own independent course.





In regard to Colombia, which, on numerous factors has the worst human rights in the hemisphere. When you look at the number of disappearances, greater than any country. Greatest internally displaced population. Greatest number of human rights leaders killed. Greatest number of trade unionists killed. Greatest number of priests killed. And yet, there is almost a total media blackout on Colombia.





Meanwhile, in next-door, Venezuela, anything bad that happens is at the top of the news cycle. To the extent trade unionists are being killed they're generally Chavista trade union leaders that are being killed by opposition forces. They're not being killed by government forces. And yet, this is all obscured in the mass media in this country.





Paramilitaries in Colombia have gone into Venezuela, have killed people in Venezuela, have actually targeted Chavistas in Venezuela. All by design, and of course, very much with a wink and a nod, both from the Colombian and the US governments who are happy to sow chaos in Venezuela.



