Raúl Baduel

{{Short description|Venezuelan military officer and politician (1955–2021)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Raúl Isaías Baduel

| image = Raúl Isaías Baduel.jpg

| image_size = 250

| caption = Baduel announcing his concerns over the Venezuelan constitutional referendum in 2007

| birth_date = {{birth date|df=y|1955|7|6}}

| birth_place = Las Mercedes, Guárico, Venezuela

| death_date = {{death date and age|df=y|2021|10|12|1955|7|6}}

| death_place = Caracas, Venezuela

| nickname =

| allegiance = Venezuelan Armed Forces

| branch =

| serviceyears = 1976–2007

| rank = General in Chief

| unit =

| commands = Defense Minister

| battles =

| awards =

| relations =

| laterwork =

| office = Minister of Defense

| predecessor3 = Jorge Luis García Carneiro

| successor3 = Gustavo Rangel Briceño

| term_start3 = 25 December 2006

| term_end3 = January 2008

| party = United Socialist Party of Venezuela

}}

Raúl Isaías Baduel (6 July 1955 – 12 October 2021){{cite web|url=https://twitter.com/tarekwiliamsaab/status/1448053025793323008|title=Lamentamos el fallecimiento de Raúl Isaias Baduel de un paro #Cardiorrespiratorio producto del Covid19: mientras se le aplicaban los cuidados médicos correspondientes y recibido la primera dosis de la vacuna… Transmitimos nuestras #Condolencias a sus familiares y amigos #RIP|access-date=12 October 2021|author=Tarek William Saab|website=Twitter}} was a Venezuelan politician, general, and defense minister under President Hugo Chávez. He was a member of Chavez' MBR-200, joining in December 1982.{{Cite news|author= Baduel, Raúl Isaías | work=The New York Times |date= 1 December 2007 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/2007/12/01/opinion/01baduel.html?_r=1 |title = Why I Parted Ways With Chávez}}

Career

=Military=

Baduel was instrumental in restoring Chávez to power after the 2002 Venezuelan coup d'état attempt, and was described by the BBC as "one of a small group of officers 'co-governing' Venezuela with Mr Chavez".{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/2790605.stm|title=Venezuela: Chavez's key backers|date=19 March 2004| publisher=BBC News |access-date= 31 January 2010}} He was commander-in-chief of the Venezuelan Army from 2004 until July 2007.{{Cite news|url= https://www.nytimes.com/2009/05/30/world/americas/30venez.html?_r=1 |author=Romero, Simon |work = The New York Times | date = 29 May 2009 | title= Chávez Seeks Tighter Grip on Military }}

=Politics=

In 2007, Baduel left his position as Defense Minister. Chávez later said that he had removed Baduel from office because he had been unable to explain a string of irregularities.[http://bbc.co.uk/i/stbv6/?t=10m10s HARDtalk with Hugo Chavez, President of Venezuela]{{Dead link|date=December 2022 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, BBC News Channel, 11:30pm Friday 18 June 2010 After retiring as Defense Minister, he emerged in 2007 as an opposition leader,{{Cite news|author=Walter, Matthew|work= Bloomberg |date = 15 November 2007 |url= https://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601086&sid=aSGA7wZkOIsI&refer=news |title= Chavez Ex-Ally Baduel Rallies Opposition to Constitution Change}} when he publicly broke with Chavez and announced his opposition to the constitutional changes proposed in the 2007 constitutional referendum (defeated via referendum) that would have strengthened the powers of the presidency and removed the restriction on public officials being re-elected. Baduel "emerged as a prominent voice of dissent", being concerned that Chavez was taking Venezuela down a "road to ruin" and becoming authoritarian.{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/10/03/AR2008100303597.html |title=Chávez Ally-Turned-Critic Is Detained by Venezuelan Military |author = Forero, Juan | newspaper = The Washington Post |date = 4 October 2008}} He became the highest-ranking military person opposed to Chavez's constitutional changes that would "concentrate power in the executive".{{cite news|url= http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/americas/11/05/venezuela.constitution/index.html |title= Top former general breaks with Chavez over constitutional changes |date= 5 November 2007 |publisher=CNN |access-date = 31 January 2010}} In July 2007, he said, "A socialist regime is not incompatible with a democratic system of checks and balances and division of powers. We must separate ourselves from Marxist orthodoxy."

Imprisonment

= Arrest and initial detention =

In October 2008, a "military prosecutor said he was responsible for about $14 million that disappeared during his tenure as defense minister" in a transaction involving the purchase of military equipment.{{Cite news|url=http://www.laht.com/article.asp?ArticleId=356681&CategoryId=10717 |title= Former Chavez Ally Sentenced to Nearly 8 Years in Prison |date= 8 May 2010 |access-date= 10 May 2010 |work= Latin American Herald Tribune}} According to The New York Times, "Chávez has moved against a wide range of domestic critics, and his efforts in recent weeks to strengthen his grip on the armed forces have led to high-profile arrests and a wave of reassignments". On 2 April 2009, Baduel was arrested at gunpoint;{{cite book|last1=Carroll|first1=Rory|title=Comandante : myth and reality in Hugo Chávez's Venezuela|date=2013|publisher=New York|location=Penguin Press|isbn=9781594204579|pages=[https://archive.org/details/comandantemythre0000carr/page/146 146–147]|url-access=registration|url=https://archive.org/details/comandantemythre0000carr/page/146}} Baduel said that his arrest was politically motivated{{Cite news|work=Al Jazeera |date= 3 April 2009 |url= http://english.aljazeera.net/news/americas/2009/04/200942232522448619.html |title= Chavez foe held over 'corruption'}} with Chávez allies admitting he was in private. Baduel was placed in Ramo Verde Prison.{{cite news|last1=Oré|first1=Diego|last2=Ulmer|first2=Alexandra|title=Venezuela arrests anti-Maduro politicians in sweep|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-idUSKBN14W2QP|access-date=13 January 2017|work=Reuters|date=13 January 2017}} According to The Guardian, he said "his crime was to realise – and declare – that the president was a tyrant".{{cite web|url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2009/oct/12/hugo-chavez-venezuela-president-tyrant |author= Carroll, Rory |title= Venezuela's president Hugo Chávez accused of turning tyrant |work= The Guardian |date= 12 October 2009 |access-date=8 February 2010}} The 2009 Human Rights Watch report mentioned Baduel as an example of political persecution.{{cite book|publisher= Human Rights Watch |url= https://www.hrw.org/en/world-report-2010/venezuela|title= Venezuela: Events of 2009 |date= 20 January 2010|access-date = 31 January 2010}}{{Cite news|url= http://www.eluniversal.com/2010/01/21/pol_art_human-rights-acusa-a_1731086.shtml |title= Human Rights acusa a Chávez de neutralizar al Poder Judicial |work= El Universal | date= 21 January 2010 |access-date= 1 February 2010|quote= HWR también cuestionó los procedimientos judiciales iniciados contra el ex gobernador del Zulia y ex alcalde de Maracaibo, Manuel Rosales; y contra el ex ministro de la Defensa, Raúl Baudel, por considerarlos una demostración del uso de los tribunales para perseguir a adversarios del Gobierno.|language=es}}{{cite news|date= 8 December 2009 |title = Venezuelan protesters end hunger strike over prisoners |author = Brice, Arthur | publisher = CNN | url =

http://www.cnn.com/2009/WORLD/americas/12/08/venezuela.hunger.strike/index.html | access-date = 31 January 2010}} Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter expressed concern about the case, and Steve Ellner, a Venezuelan historian and analyst, noted that "courts overwhelmingly targeted opposition figures. 'Chávez's case would be much stronger if he went after corruption within his own government.' Arresting Baduel neutralised an opponent who could stir trouble in the army. 'Obviously throwing Baduel in jail had a political motivation.'" In April 2010, Amnesty International accused "the Venezuelan government of deliberately targeting opposition leaders and sympathizers".

In May 2010, Baduel was convicted by a military court of corruption and sentenced to seven years and eleven months in prison; Baduel said he was innocent.{{cite news|url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/8669618.stm |author= Grant, Will |date= 8 May 2010 |title= Venezuelan ex-defence minister Raul Baduel jailed |access-date= 10 May 2010 |publisher= BBC}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gmMcR4l7ZzrrjxSZHPLKzUTih1PwD9FIE60G0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100511163557/http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gmMcR4l7ZzrrjxSZHPLKzUTih1PwD9FIE60G0 |url-status=dead |archive-date=11 May 2010 |title=More than 7 years in prison for Chavez critic |author=Rueda, Jorge |date= 8 May 2010 |access-date= 10 May 2010 | agency=Associated Press}} The military court declared that US$3.9 million was misappropriated, according to interviews with members of various military units; Baduel's daughter said no proof existed and the main evidence was provided by soldiers who claimed to see another officer carrying some black bags.{{Cite news |url= http://doblevia.eluniversal.com/2010/05/08/pol_art_condenan-a-baduel-a_08A3869297.shtml |title= Condenan a Baduel a siete años y 11 meses de prisión |date= 8 May 2010 |access-date= 10 May 2010 |work= El Universal |author= Hernández F., Alejandra M. |language= es |url-status= dead |archive-url= https://archive.today/20130122030445/http://doblevia.eluniversal.com/2010/05/08/pol_art_condenan-a-baduel-a_08A3869297.shtml |archive-date= 22 January 2013}}

From Ramo Verde Prison, Baduel sent a Twitter message to family members, saying, "God is with us and divine justice is always active".{{Cite news|url=http://www.eluniversal.com/2010/05/08/pol_ava_baduel:-dios-esta-co_08A3869773.shtml |title= Baduel: Dios está con nosotros y su justicia está activa |work= El Universal |date= 8 May 2010 |access-date= 10 May 2010|author= Fernández, Yaneth| quote= Dios está con nosotros y su justicia divina está siempre activa ... Señor Jesús levanta mi alma hacia ti y engrandece mis días, con una gota de tu sangre salvaguarda mi carne y mi espíritu, con una gota de tu agua cubre mis pensamientos, sentimientos y hasta mi verbo, la espada de la justicia divina sesgue la iniquidad de mi derredor y ampara con tu amor y bondad a los míos.|language=es}} He was released six years later in 2015.

= Second detention and death =

On 12 January 2017, Baduel was once again arrested following allegations from the Venezuelan government that he was plotting to overthrow the government. Multiple other opposition politicians were detained in what opposition politicians called trumped up charges. Family members of Baduel have denounced that he was being kept in solitary isolation at an underground facility known as The Tomb ({{langx|es|La Tumba}}) from late January 2018. In June 2019, he was moved to a maximum security prison in {{Interlanguage link|Fuerte Tiuna|es}}.{{cite web|url=http://www.el-nacional.com/noticias/politica/trasladaron-general-baduel-carcel-maxima-seguridad-fuerte-tiuna_285154|title=Trasladaron a Baduel a cárcel de máxima seguridad en Fuerte Tiuna|date=12 June 2019|website=El Nacional|language=es|access-date=13 June 2019}}

On 12 October 2021, the Attorney General appointed by the 2017 Constituent National Assembly, Tarek William Saab, reported Baduel's death allegedly due to cardiorespiratory arrest caused by COVID-19.{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.com/mundo/noticias-america-latina-58893832|title=Raúl Isaías Baduel: muere en prisión por covid-19 el exministro de Defensa de Venezuela|work=BBC News|date=12 October 2021}}{{cite web|url=https://efectococuyo.com/politica/saab-muerte-general-baduel/|title=Saab anuncia muerte del general Raúl Isaías Baduel por COVID-19, preso en el Sebin desde 2017|access-date=2021-10-12|date=2021-10-12|website=Efecto Cocuyo}}{{cite web|url=https://www.bancaynegocios.com/fallecio-exministro-de-la-defensa-raul-baduel-por-covid-19/|title=Falleció exministro de la Defensa Raúl Baduel por covid-19|date=12 October 2021|publisher=Banca y negocios|quote=El exministro de la Defensa y preso durante 12 años por acusaciones vinculadas con presuntos delitos de corrupción, Raúl Isaías Baduel, falleció por un paro cardiorrespiratorio asociado con covid-19, fue clave en su restitución al frente del gobierno de Hugo Chávez luego de los sucesos de abril de 2002. Luego ocupó la Comandancia General del Ejército entre 2004 y 2006, cuando fue designado titular del despacho de Defensa.}} His family has disputed this version as the cause of death, saying that they visited him on 9 October and that he was well, and decided not to cremate his body so as not to hinder the investigations.{{cite web|url=https://elpitazo.net/gran-caracas/familia-del-general-baduel-no-cremara-el-cuerpo-para-no-entorpecer-investigaciones/|title=Familia del general Baduel no cremará el cuerpo para no entorpecer investigaciones|access-date=2021-10-13|date=2021-10-13|website=El Pitazo}}