(IPYS/IFEX) – “Any foreigner who comes here to insult this country, the government or the president will be expelled. I have given instructions to this effect from this day forward,” stated President Hugo Chávez on 10 June 2001. The president was speaking during an event attended by foreign investors, held in the offices of the […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – “Any foreigner who comes here to insult this country, the government or the president will be expelled. I have given instructions to this effect from this day forward,” stated President Hugo Chávez on 10 June 2001. The president was speaking during an event attended by foreign investors, held in the offices of the state oil corporation Petroleos de Venezuela (PDVSA).
The president’s statements sparked one of the most intense debates in Venezuela in recent months. All political and social sectors have reacted to what they consider a measure that contravenes the constitution. Former presidential candidate Eduardo Fernández pointed out that the constitution permits all citizens to freely express their thoughts and therefore such a measure could not be tolerated.
Chávez’s announcement came in response to statements made by former Peruvian presidential candidate Lourdes Flores. In a forum on public policy held on 7 and 8 June in Caracas, Flores stated that the Venezuelan president exhibited some characteristics similar to former Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori.
On 12 June, the president of the Venezuelan parliament, Member of Parliament for the governing party William Lara, defended the government. Speaking in the National Assembly gallery, Lara noted that “in no country on this planet are foreigners permitted to slight a president’s administration.”
Article 57 of the Venezuelan constitution, approved in December 1999, stipulates that “all persons have the right to freely express their thoughts, ideas and opinions, whether orally, in written form or by any other means, without being subjected to censorship.” In this and other articles in the constitution, no differentiation is made between national citizens’ and foreigners’ opinions.
Nevertheless, on 12 June Minister of the Interior and Justice Luis Miquilena announced that he was ready to carry out the order of expelling any foreigner who dared to criticise the government and particularly President Chávez while in Venezuela. According to the functions of his office, Miquilena would be the official in charge of overseeing the implementation of this controversial measure.
