Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal Approves Extradition of Former President Perez

The Venezuelan Supreme Tribunal of Justice had approved a request of the government to extradite former President Carlos Andres Perez from the United States, local press reported Friday.

Perez is accused of being responsible for the death and disappearance of hundreds of people during street protests in 1989, which was known as the “Caracazo.”

In February and March 1989, Caracas and other cities in Venezuela saw a series of street protests and demonstrations against the economic measures announced by then President Perez.

The General Prosecutor’s Office accused Perez of violating human rights and corruption.

Perez, who ruled the country from 1974 to 1979 and then from 1989 to 1993, has lived in the Miami area for more than a decade. He suffered a debilitating stroke in 2003.