CARACAS, VENEZUELA - JANUARY 7: National Guard soldiers guard tax offices (SENIAT) during a protest by the opposition of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez January 7, 2003 in Caracus, Venezuela. Thousands of protesters marched on the tax office urging people to withold tax payments from the Venezuelan government. Chavez warned that not paying taxes is a crime and punishable with seven years in prison. (Getty)
CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) – A non-governmental group that tracks crime in Venezuela says the country's homicide rate rose again in 2014.
The Venezuelan Violence Observatory estimates that 24,980 killings occurred this year, pushing the homicide rate up to 82 per 100,000 inhabitants. The group says that makes Venezuela the No. 2 country in the world for murders per capita, after Honduras.
Last year, the observatory counted 79 killings per 100,000 people. In 1998, the rate was 19 per 100,000.
The report published Monday is based on press reports, victim surveys and officials' comments. Venezuelan authorities generally dispute the group's findings, and say the crime situation is improving.
Victims include people in wealthy and poor neighborhoods and armed guards and police. Jusat this past weekend, a National Guardsman was killed in Caracas, reportedly in an attempt to steal his motorcycle.
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