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Carlos Ortega Carvajal is a union and political leader in Venezuela . In 2001, Ortega was elected leader of the Confederación De Trabajadores De Venezuela (CTV), the largest union federation in Venezuela. The results were disputed and the Venezuelan Supreme Court refused to ratify them. However, Ortega assumed the presidency, and from that platform, carried out a campaign of opposition against Hugo Chávez , the President of Venezuela. In April of 2002, under Carlos Ortega's leadership the CTV declared a national civic strike to protest what he felt were the "increasingly dictatorial" policies of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez. This strike culminated in a protest march to the Presidential Palace, Miraflores which saw pro and anti Chavez Venezuelans total close to a million. As a result of the violence that transpired that day, resulting in the death of 19 Venezuelans on both sides of the disagreement, President Chávez was briefly removed from power by high ranking military officers. During the failed April, 2002 Coup Attempt , Ortega warmly greeted the man undemocratically appointed President, Pedro Carmona , of the Venezuelan business federation Fedecámaras . In October of 2003 in a taped conversation with a Venezuelan ally Ortega stated that "We are going to need about 10, 12 or 15 years of dictatorship to rescue the country," Ortega went on further to say that he had "no problem with that." {Link without Title} Following the failure of the coup attempt, CTV and Fedecámaras carried out a joint strike/lockout Work Stoppage starting in December 2002 and carrying through February 2003. In February 2003, a warrant for Ortega's arrest was issued on charges of Treason and civil rebellion, in connection with the work stoppage. Ortega fled to the Costa Rican embassy, where he was granted Political Asylum . However, the asylum was revoked one year later, when he continued his anti-Chávez activism. In March, 2005, Ortega was arrested in Venezuela. Later that year Ortega was sentenced to 15 years in prison by a Venzuelan court. There was a pro Chavez documentary made "" which depicts the 48 hour long coup which Carlos Ortega was involved with. EXTERNAL LINKS
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