Jorge Antonio Rodríguez (Venezuelan Dissident)

Jorge Antonio Rodríguez (Carora, February 16, 1942 – Caracas, July 25, 1976) was a student leader, terrorist and Venezuelan politician. He was a leader of the Revolutionary Left Movement and, later, founder of the Socialist League. He became known in the 1970s for leading the kidnapping of the American William Niehous.

He was involved in several criminal acts under the banner of the revolution. On February 27, 1976, a guerrilla commando kidnapped William Niehous, the local president of Owens-Illinois, from his residence in Caracas. The kidnappers, members of the Revolutionary Organization (OR), a faction derived from the MIR and linked to the Socialist League, justified their act by arguing that Niehous was an enemy of Venezuela. Niehous's kidnapping, which lasted three years and four months, is considered one of the longest in Venezuelan history. Rodríguez was arrested for his involvement in the kidnapping and died under torture while being interrogated by the Intelligence and Prevention Services Directorate, a fact that led to the dismissal of several officials, including director Arístides Lander. Rodríguez's participation in acts of kidnapping, his legacy of violence and militancy left a mark on his children, Delcy and Jorge Rodríguez, who have held high positions in the Chavista regime, perpetuating a repressive and authoritarian system.

Biography

Family

Jorge Antonio Rodríguez was born into a low-income family. He was the son of Pascual Florido and Eloína Rodríguez. On December 26, 1962, Rodríguez married Delcy Gómez in the Church of San Juan, Barquisimeto. They had two children, among whom Jorge Jesús and Delcy Eloína stand out. There is a third son named Jesus, of whom very little has been seen in political matters

Studies

Due to economic difficulties, Rodríguez did not start high school immediately after finishing primary school. However, later, he studied at the Gervasio Rubio Technical School of Agriculture —formerly known as the Inter-American Center for Rural Education (CIER)— located in the Táchira State, where he graduated as a rural teacher. Later, he moved to Caracas to study at the Faculty of Economics of the Central University of Venezuela (UCV).

Political life

He briefly served in the Democratic Action party. He was part of the student leadership in the Federation of University Centers (FCU) and was a delegate of the University Council in 1966. Rodríguez was in favor of the University Renewal Movement, which was born on June 18, 1968, said movement demanded greater freedom from the government. He was a faithful activist in the fight against the closure of the university. In 1972, Rodríguez was arrested by the Armed Forces Intelligence Service (SIFA) and accused of military rebellion.

Jorge Rodríguez called for the creation of the Socialist League as a revolutionary left-wing party in November 1973, in which he served as general secretary. «Socialism is won by fighting»

Kidnapping of William Niehous

William Niehous was kidnapped by leftist guerrillas in Venezuela on February 27, 1976. At the time, Niehous was the head of operations in Venezuela for Owens-Illinois, an American glass bottle company. Niehous was identified by leftist groups as an agent of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA). He was drugged and kidnapped from his home in Caracas, and his company was accused of bribery and corruption with the Venezuelan government. After a few months, the government stopped negotiating with the kidnappers. Niehous remained captive for three years, four months and two days, recognized as the longest in Venezuelan politics. Until being found by chance by the rural police on June 30, 1979, chained to a post in a cabin in a southern province. Police, searching for cattle thieves, killed two gunmen guarding him and took him to the nearest police station, not knowing who he was. In the search and rescue of the kidnapped American, Jorge Rodriguez was arrested on Sucre Avenue, in front of the Miguel Antonio Caro high school.

His rescue and reunion with his wife Donna made worldwide news. During his captivity, Niehous survived by setting weekly goals, teaching his captors how to play poker, and debating with them about capitalism and Marxism. A lifelong tendency to trust people led him to believe his captors' promises that they would not kill him. Born August 11, 1931, in Toledo, Ohio, he graduated in 1953 from Miami University in Ohio and joined Owens-Illinois in 1955 after serving in the army. He had managed operations in Mexico City and Madrid before accepting the post in Caracas in 1974. The Marxist group Comando Revolucionario Argimiro Gabaldón, of which Jorge Rodríguez was leader, claimed responsibility for the kidnapping, demanding a $3.5 million ransom, the distribution of food to the poor, and the publication of a statement against Owens-Illinois in foreign newspapers. Tensions between the company and President Carlos Andrés Pérez escalated when the company published the statement in The New York Times, Le Monde and The Times of London, prompting the government to cut off communication with the kidnappers and threaten to nationalize Owens-Illinois's plants. Niehous never saw the faces of his captors, who wore masks and rotated in surveillance. Two of his kidnappers, Gabriel Puerta Aponte and Carlos Lanz Rodríguez, became close advisers to Hugo Chávez.

Death

He was captured by agents of the General Sectorial Directorate of Intelligence and Prevention Services (DISIP) on July 23. He was murdered at the DISIP at the age of 34, on July 25, 1976. The official cause of death of Rodríguez is a heart attack, which is attributed to the torture he was subjected to during his detention.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rodríguez, Jorge Antonio (Venezuelan dissident)
1942 births
1976 deaths
20th-century Venezuelan politicians
Kidnappers
Venezuelan politicians convicted of crimes
Venezuelan dissidents