[JURIST] A lawyer representing the Venezuelan government said Friday that Venezuela plans to press the United States on its refusal to prosecute or extradite Cuban anti-Castro militant and Venezuelan national Luis Posada Carriles [Wikipedia profile; JURIST news archive] on charges that Carriles orchestrated the 1976 bombing of a Cuban airliner [Wikipedia backgrounder]. Venezuela plans to raise the issue before the United Nations, the Organization of American States [official website], as well as challenge the US in international courts. Jose Pertierra said that Venezuela plans to argue before a UN Security Council counter-terrorism committee that the United States is violating Resolution 1373 [text] by failing to ensure that individuals "who [participated] in the financing, planning, preparation or perpetration of terrorist acts or in supporting terrorist acts [are] brought to justice."

On Thursday, Carriles posted a $250,000 bond and was released from a New Mexico jail [JURIST report] following a legal battle over his release. He is still subject to US deportation proceedings. In 2005, Venezuela asked the US to extradite Carriles [JURIST report] to face charges of alleged terrorist acts. An immigration judge ruled that Carriles would not be extradited [JURIST report] to either Venezuela or Cuba due to concerns of potential torture. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez strongly criticized the ruling [JURIST report], characterizing it as "the US government… [deciding] in favor" of a terrorist. AP has more.