Venezuela Crackdown Meets Silence in Latin America

MEXICO CITY—From Mexico to Brazil, most Latin American governments have remained impassive as the Venezuelan government violently cracks down on growing protests, arrests opposition leaders and censors most of the country's media....

That lack of condemnation gives Mr. Maduro a lot of political leeway to increase the pressure on his opponents, according to former Mexican Foreign Minister Jorge Castañeda. "There is no Latin American government that is going to lift a finger," he said.

Stepping in to fill the vacuum, a group of former top officials from countries across the Americas circulated a communiqué on Friday condemning Venezuela for its repression of the protests and what it called the arbitrary detention of students and political leaders....

Even Chile's students, who have frequently staged street protests in Santiago that, at times, turned violent, expressed no sympathy for their Venezuelan brethren.

"We do not feel represented by the actions of the Venezuelan student sectors, which have put themselves on the side of defending the old order opposed to the revolutionary path," said a statement issued by Chile's powerful student federation, known as the FECh.

Smaller states in the Caribbean and Central America which depend on Venezuelan oil subsidies also have kept quiet.

"Venezuela is a very influential country because of its oil," said Raul Benitez, a security expert at Mexico's UNAM University. "A lot of countries are afraid the Venezuelans will cut off their oil."

But if the violence worsens, some analysts say Latin American countries will ultimately be drawn in. "Even the center-left in Latin America are going to have to stand up and recognize this is outrageous what's going on," said Eric Farnsworth, director of the Americas Society-Council of the Americas....

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