Escaped former Venezuela prisoner Eligio Cedeño addressed the United Nations Thursday to oppose Hugo Chávez's bid for a seat on the U.N.  Human Rights Council.

Cedeño, a banker who was jailed for more than two years for providing financial support to Venezuela's opposition, spoke to the U.N. about the Chávez government's poor human rights record.

"Venezuela is a nation with a profound human rights crisis," Cedeño said. "Judicial independence is non-existent, with judges publicly declaring loyalty oaths to the president and chanting his praises at the Supreme Court."

Cedeño was imprisoned in 2007 without trial. He was declared a victim of arbitrary detention by the U.N. Human Rights Council, according to U.N. Watch. He was released by Venezuelan Judge Maria Lourdes Afiuni, who quickly came under fire by the Chávez regime after her ruling.

"That same day, she was arrested and the next