Violence rising for Venezuelan activists

Humberto Prado, once an inmate in one of South America's most notorious prisons, has spent years campaigning for reforms in Venezuela's prisons. Since he denounced the government over a prison where inmates rioted in June, he claims he has received numerous death threats. Venezuelan activists say that these threats are common when the government has been criticized of human rights abuses. Before President Hugo Chavez took office in 1999, such attacks were rare and none were reported during Chavez's first year in power. However, since 2003, 83 attacks have targeted activists in Venezuela and 10 activists have been killed. The growing number of such cases is placing the government of Chavez under increasing international scrutiny, as human rights groups take their complaints to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and the United Nations.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/10/14/ap/latinamerica/main20120589.shtml