The Military Intelligence and Counterintelligence Law, popularly known as the Snitch Law (), was a law in Venezuela passed on 28 May 2008 during the government of

Hugo Chávez Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; ; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician, Bolivarian Revolution, revolutionary, and Officer (armed forces), military officer who served as the 52nd president of Venezuela from 1999 until De ...

that established the obligation for any person to comply with intelligence tasks if requested by the authorities, with the penalty of being prosecuted in case of refusal. The colloquial term in Spanish comes from popular Venezuelan slang in which a

snitch Snitch may refer to: * Informant An informant (also called an informer or, as a slang term, a "snitch", "rat", "canary", "stool pigeon", "stoolie", "tout" or "grass", among other terms) is a person who provides privileged information, or ( ...

is referred to as a "sapo" (Spanish for

toad Toad (also known as a hoptoad) is a common name for certain frogs, especially of the family Bufonidae, that are characterized by dry, leathery skin, short legs, and large bumps covering the parotoid glands. In popular culture (folk taxonomy ...

). After strong opposition against the law, Chávez repealed the law on 10 June 2008.

History

The law came into effect on 28 May 2008 after being published in Official Gazette No. 38,940. Said law established the obligation for any person to comply with intelligence and counter-intelligence work in case of being requested by the authorities, with the penalty of being prosecuted by the Public Ministry in case of refusal. It was approved by President

after the

National Assembly In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...

granted him the special legislative powers of the

enabling law An enabling act is a piece of legislation by which a legislative body grants an entity which depends on it (for authorization or legitimacy) for the delegation of the legislative body's power to take certain actions. For example, enabling acts ...

. The colloquial term for the law comes from Venezuelan slang in which a snitch is referred to as a "sapo" (Spanish for

). The legislation was criticized by human rights organizations, which warned that it violated the constitution and could create a spy society, as well as by the Venezuelan student movement. The instrument was also compared to Cuba's informant networks and concern was expressed that the basic rights of suspects were denied, as was access to information. The non-governmental organization Foro Penal asked its annulment before the Supreme Tribunal of Justice. The legislation led to protests against it, demanding its repeal, including on June 9 and 10 in

Caracas Caracas ( , ), officially Santiago de León de Caracas (CCS), is the capital and largest city of Venezuela, and the center of the Metropolitan Region of Caracas (or Greater Caracas). Caracas is located along the Guaire River in the northern p ...

, when multiple posters and effigies of toads with red berets were hung on the streets. Originally, Chavez and his cabinet justified the law as "anti-coup" and "anti-imperialist" for several days, but between June 7 and 8, Chávez initially declared that the law would be amended and subsequently announced its repeal on 10 June 2008; the repeal became effective in Official Gazette No. 38,949 in Decree No. 6156 just 14 days after its publication. Alfredo Romero, member of Foro Penal, stated that it was the first time in the history of Venezuela that an intelligence law existed and described the repeal as "a triumph of the citizenry". According to analysts, the purpose of the rectification was to regain the confidence of the public before the 2008 regional elections scheduled for November.

Legacy

Despite the repeal of the Snitch Law, its main directives were gradually applied until culminating in the Articulation and Socio-Political Action Network, a social structure of espionage.

References

{{Chávez presidency 2008 in Venezuela Espionage 2008 legislation Venezuelan legislation Human rights in Venezuela Hugo Chávez

History

Legacy

See also

References