2004: Venezuela Stopped Sending Troops for Training at the US-run School of the Americas

The School of the Americas (SOA) was based at Fort Benning in Columbus, Georgia. Established in 1946, the SOA trained Latin American military officers. By 2000, 60,000 Latin American officers had graduated from the training program. The SOA training program included Spanish-language manuals describing the use of torture in the interrogation of prisoners and the assassination of people suspected of anti-government activities.[1]

·       In 1989, six Jesuit priests were murdered in El Salvador. A UN report concluded that 19 of the 27 killers were SOA graduates.

·       The organizer of the murder of Archbishop Romero in El Salvador was a SOA graduate.

·       SOA graduates from Chile were responsible for killings under Pinochet.

•        “Americans can now read for themselves some of the noxious lessons the United States Army taught to thousands of Latin American military officers at the School of the Americas… A training manual recently released by the Pentagon recommended interrogation techniques like torture, execution, blackmail and arresting the relatives of those being questioned. Such practices, which some of the school’s graduates enthusiastically applied once they returned home, violate basic human rights. The School should be closed down.” [2]

Roy Bourgeois, a Catholic priest, started SOA Watch and a campaign against the School of the Americas. SOA Watch lobbied Congress to stop funding the SOA. Large annual protests were held at Fort Benning demanding that the SOA be closed. Catholic Church activists were prominent.

On January 19, 2004 Father Bourgeois appeared with President Chavez on Venezuelan TV.  He pointed out that Venezuela had the most graduates of the SOA (4000) and that two of the Generals who participated in the 2002 coup attempt against Chavez were SOA graduates. Father Bourgeois asked Chavez to stop sending officers to the SOA.[1]

On February 26,2004 Venezuelan Vice President Rangel announced that Venezuela would no longer send officers to the SOA saying that: “A country like the US which considers itself a democracy should not have such a school on its soil.” Venezuela was the first country to stop sending troops for training at the SOA.[1]

1.     Venezuela Ceases all Training of Soldiers at the School of the Americas, Venezuelanalysis, March 2, 2004

2.     New York Times, School of the Dictators, September 28, 1996

Comments

  1. eapSeptember 29, 2025 at 4:36 AM

    FYI Footnote references for 'Venezuelanalysis' is not working.

    ReplyDelete

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