The incident took place when journalist Danilo Vergara was interviewing participants in an event being held to honour a local musician in the city of Maracaibo.
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 20 May 2010, bodyguards for the governor of Zulia, Pablo Pérez, and the mayor of Maracaibo, Daniel Ponne, assaulted radio journalist Danilo Vergara. The incident took place in Maracaibo, western Venezuela.
Vergara was interviewing participants in an event being held to honour a local musician when Governor Pérez arrived and issued an order for the journalist to be removed from the premises.
The reporter was then grabbed by the neck and prevented from carrying out his work. Vergara protested loudly but his assailants threatened him and told him he had to leave.
IPYS condemns this attack on freedom of expression.
