distribution and the reduction of poverty", and "improvements in the areas of economic, social, and cultural rights". The report also found "blistering" concerns with freedom of expression, human rights abuses, authoritarianism, and "the existence of a pattern of impunity in cases of violence", as well as erosion of separation of powers and "severe economic, infrastructure, and social headaches". Chávez rejected the 2010 OAS report, calling it "pure garbage", and said Venezuela should boycott the OAS; a spokesperson said, "We don't recognize the commission as an impartial institution". He disclaimed any power to influence the judiciary. A Venezuelan official said the report distorts and takes statistics out of context, saying that "human rights violations in Venezuela have decreased". According to the National Public Radio, the report discusses decreasing rights of opposition to the government and "goes into heavy detail" about control of the judiciary. It says elections are free, but the state has increasing control over media and state resources used during election campaigns, and opposition elected officials have "been prevented from actually carrying out their duties afterward". CNN has said the "lack of independence by Venezuela's judiciary and legislature in their dealings with Chavez often leads to the abuses", and the Wall Street Journal blames the government of Chavez. On 7 October 2012, Chávez won his country's presidential election for a third time, defeating Henrique Capriles for another six-year term. The American press has often demonized the political process in the country, calling the government a "dictatorship". His victory was short-lived, however, as Chavez died five months later, on 5 March 2013. Crime statistics The Chávez government has often been criticized for letting crime worsen. The murder rate in Venezuela was about 19 murders per 100,000 in 1999. It had risen to 75 murders per 100,000 for 2011 according to non-governmental sources and to 48 murders per 100,000 upon admission by the Minister of Justice. The national government stopped publishing regular data on the murder rate in 2004. However, in 2009, then Minister of Interior Affairs and Justice Tareck el-Aissami started massive reforms in police and security services and started to replace "old" police with new "Bolivarian" police. According to new statistics, in area where "old" police was replaced by "bolivarian" police, criminality including murders dropped by 30–50%. Despite the efforts, the murder rate reached new record highs in 2011 and again in 2012. Arms importation Venezuela became the eighth-most-important