Francisco Usón is a former

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...

n general who was arrested on May 22, 2004 after an interview with journalist

Marta Colomina Marta Colomina Reyero (July 12, 1938) is a Spanish-Venezuelan journalist and retired college professor. For two decades she taught journalism in her alma mater, the University of Zulia. In the 80's she was president of the Venezuelan state telev ...

. On December 24, 2007, he was freed on a conditional release.

Career and arrest

After graduating from the military academy, Usón held a number of positions, including Brigadier General and Chief of the National Budget Office, and Minister of Finance of Venezuela in 2002. On April 16, 2004, Usón appeared live on a Venezuelan television program hosted by journalist

. During his interview, Usón was questioned regarding the incidents surrounding the Fort Mara military base, where a fire in a punishment cell burned eight soldiers on March 30, 2004. He was arrested after claiming that the use of a

flamethrower A flamethrower is a ranged incendiary device designed to project a controllable jet of fire. First deployed by the Byzantine Empire in the 7th century AD, flamethrowers saw use in modern times during World War I, and more widely in World ...

to create the fire would have meant premeditation, saying that “This is very, very serious if it ends up being true.” Human rights groups have called the arrest biased, with the Human Rights Foundation calling it a violation of "his right to be free of arbitrary detainment, the right to speak freely, and the right to equal treatment and due process under the law." On December 24, 2007, Usón was freed on the conditions that he not comment about his case; not participate in any political events, marches, protests, or gatherings; not run for public office; and that he submit to a psychiatric evaluation.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Uson, Francisco Venezuelan generals Finance ministers of Venezuela Political repression in Venezuela Prisoners and detainees of Venezuela Venezuelan prisoners and detainees Year of birth missing (living people) Living people