Defend Free Speech in Venezuela
Information on Free Speech In Venezuela
In Venezuela, speech freedom is injured by a governmental campaign against independent media.
At the end of January 2010, the government shut down six cable and satellite TV channels because they failed to broadcast a speech by President Hugo Chavez.
The president of Venezuela and his government have carried out a relentless campaign against independent media in Venezuela – especially against those who question the government’s policies. The president has singled out editors, newspaper owners, reporters, and in one case even challenged the owner of a news channel to be prepared to face him in a duel.
Other human rights organizations condemning this new crackdown on independent media in Venezuela include the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and the Inter-American Press Association. Since 2007, the Venezuelan government has denied the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights access to the country to monitor the human rights situation in Venezuela. According to the freedom of expression in the world index, prepared annually by Freedom House, Venezuela and Cuba are currently the only two countries considered “not free” on the American continent.
http://www.humanrightsfoundation.org/media/020210.html
http://www.freerctv.com/
News
Forbes.com: Free Speech Venezuela "Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chávez unveiled his new strategy for September's legislative elections Monday night when he had opposition figure Oswaldo Álvarez Paz hauled off to jail"
Reuters: Venezuelan authorities have jailed a former state governor and presidential candidate who accused President Hugo Chavez's government of links to subversive groups in Latin America
Human Rights Foundation: HRF declared Mr. Alvarez Paz a prisoner of conscience based on a thoroughinvestigation and legal report that determined he was imprisoned solely for having expressed opinions that criticized you and your government.
Quotes
"You can't talk about true freedom of expression when you have a government that uses force to repress the media ... [and] a president of the republic utilizing the force that he has and the authority that he has to manipulate public opinion and to try to impose a way of thinking." - Guillermo Zuloaga, owner of the TV channel Globovision
"In Venezuela, it's a crime to offer an opinion" - Alejandro Aguirre, president of the Inter American Press Association.
"Here in Venezuela, to offer an opinion is becoming a crime" - Zuloaga's son, Carlos Alberto
"The space for public debate about Venezuelan government authorities is being increasingly reduced through the use of instruments such as the criminal justice system to silence critical or dissident expressions." - Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Links
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights - http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights - http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr.htm
Human Rights Committee - http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrc/index.htm
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights - http://www.cidh.org/DefaultE.htm
United Nations: Human Rights - http://www.un.org/en/rights/
Amnesty International - http://www.amnesty.org/
Human Rights Foundation - http://www.thehrf.org/
Human Rights Watch - http://www.hrw.org/
At the end of January 2010, the government shut down six cable and satellite TV channels because they failed to broadcast a speech by President Hugo Chavez.
The president of Venezuela and his government have carried out a relentless campaign against independent media in Venezuela – especially against those who question the government’s policies. The president has singled out editors, newspaper owners, reporters, and in one case even challenged the owner of a news channel to be prepared to face him in a duel.
Other human rights organizations condemning this new crackdown on independent media in Venezuela include the Committee to Protect Journalists, Reporters Without Borders and the Inter-American Press Association. Since 2007, the Venezuelan government has denied the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights access to the country to monitor the human rights situation in Venezuela. According to the freedom of expression in the world index, prepared annually by Freedom House, Venezuela and Cuba are currently the only two countries considered “not free” on the American continent.
http://www.humanrightsfoundation.org/media/020210.html
http://www.freerctv.com/
News
Forbes.com: Free Speech Venezuela "Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chávez unveiled his new strategy for September's legislative elections Monday night when he had opposition figure Oswaldo Álvarez Paz hauled off to jail"
Reuters: Venezuelan authorities have jailed a former state governor and presidential candidate who accused President Hugo Chavez's government of links to subversive groups in Latin America
Human Rights Foundation: HRF declared Mr. Alvarez Paz a prisoner of conscience based on a thoroughinvestigation and legal report that determined he was imprisoned solely for having expressed opinions that criticized you and your government.
Quotes
"You can't talk about true freedom of expression when you have a government that uses force to repress the media ... [and] a president of the republic utilizing the force that he has and the authority that he has to manipulate public opinion and to try to impose a way of thinking." - Guillermo Zuloaga, owner of the TV channel Globovision
"In Venezuela, it's a crime to offer an opinion" - Alejandro Aguirre, president of the Inter American Press Association.
"Here in Venezuela, to offer an opinion is becoming a crime" - Zuloaga's son, Carlos Alberto
"The space for public debate about Venezuelan government authorities is being increasingly reduced through the use of instruments such as the criminal justice system to silence critical or dissident expressions." - Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
Links
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights - http://www.un.org/en/documents/udhr/index.shtml
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights - http://www2.ohchr.org/english/law/ccpr.htm
Human Rights Committee - http://www2.ohchr.org/english/bodies/hrc/index.htm
Inter-American Commission on Human Rights - http://www.cidh.org/DefaultE.htm
United Nations: Human Rights - http://www.un.org/en/rights/
Amnesty International - http://www.amnesty.org/
Human Rights Foundation - http://www.thehrf.org/
Human Rights Watch - http://www.hrw.org/
