José Vicente Rangel: Example of a permanent struggle for the ideals of justice and equality (+Christmas)

Published at: 10/07/2025 08:54 AM

On July 10, 1929, the journalist and great revolutionary, José Vicente Rangel, was born in the city of Caracas, who from his profession defended Human Rights during the Fourth Republic and showed the rebirth of hope for a people with social justice based on the Bolivarian ideal.

From a very young age, he was a member of the left in the 60s, 70s and 80s of the 20th century. He was a Venezuelan lawyer and journalist, an active fighter against the Pérez Jiménez dictatorship under the ranks of the Democratic Republican Union party, led by Jóvito Villalba. Expelled from the country for his political work, he went to Chile in exile, where he met his wife, the plastic artist Ana Ávalos.

Rangel returned to the country after the fall of the Pérez Jiménez dictatorship and began a parliamentary career that lasted 25 years, always standing out for his work in defense of human rights.

For many years he hosted the interview and political opinion program José Vicente Hoy, broadcast on the Televen channel, in which he addressed different angles of public life, political and economic events so that public opinion could form a judgment based on the arguments presented by the guests.

During the administration of Commander Hugo Chávez, Rangel held the positions of Minister of Foreign Affairs, Minister of Defense and Executive Vice President of the Republic. In addition, he was a two-time winner of the Venezuelan National Journalism Award. Author of The Black File, a book that investigates human rights violations in the country between 1960 and 1970. He also published the works Time of Truth, Socialism and Democracy, The Administration of Justice in Venezuela, among other essays on politics and human rights.

On December 18, 2020, this great man died who left an enormous legacy, not only as a journalist, but as a human being. Without a doubt, he, together with Commander Chávez, Darío Vivas and other fighting companions, will continue to live and throb in the hearts of Venezuelans.

Mazo News Team