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When Caracas was a Safe Haven From Tyranny

By Tomás Straka

Under the Betancourt Doctrine, Venezuela became a refuge for Latin Americans fleeing dictatorship.

This article is adapted from AQ's special report on migration

In 1958, the Dominican politician, writer and future president Juan Bosch desperately needed a place to find refuge. He had been arrested for a second time by the Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista for his political activities against the Dominican dictatorship. But after a few months, under pressure from a network of Latin American intellectuals, the ailing regime in Cuba agreed to let Bosch go.

At the time, Caracas was the ideal...

Read this article on the Americas Quarterly website. | Subscribe to AQ.

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