(IAPA/IFEX) – The following is a 13 July 2001 IAPA press release: IAPA asks for safeguards for Venezuelan journalist Miami (13 July 2001) – The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) asked the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to bring the case of Venezuelan journalist Pablo Lopez Ulacio before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, […]
(IAPA/IFEX) – The following is a 13 July 2001 IAPA press release:
IAPA asks for safeguards for Venezuelan journalist
Miami (13 July 2001) – The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) asked the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to bring the case of Venezuelan journalist Pablo Lopez Ulacio before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, so that his rights as an individual and press freedom can be protected.
Lopez Ulacio, editor of the weekly La Razon, based in Caracas, was accused of defamation after publishing a number of investigative reports on corruption, implicating a number of Venezuelan businessmen and politicians. Ever since, harassment and threats have been directed against both the weekly and the journalist and his family. Lopez Ulacio is currently living in exile in Costa Rica.
In a letter to Claudio Grossman, president of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, signed by IAPA President Danilo Arbilla, of the Montevideo, Uruguay based weekly Búsqueda, the hemispheric organization expressed the need for the Court to intervene given the Venezuelan government’s refusal to comply with the IACHR’s recommendations as regards the Lopez Ulacio case.
Following is the text of the 12 July 2001 letter:
“The Inter American Press Association is concerned by the case of Venezuelan journalist Pablo Lopez Ulacio, who is currently in Costa Rica. The Venezuelan government has not adhered to the precautionary measures prescribed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR). We therefore feel that his file should come under the jurisdiction of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, so that his rights as an individual and respect for press freedom can be guaranteed.
Since July 2000, the IAPA has been protesting the fact that Lopez Ulacio, editor of the weekly La Razon, has not received an impartial trial. Lopez Ulacio was accused of defamation following the February 1999 publication of his investigative reports on corruption, implicating local businessmen and politicians. A number of press freedom and human rights organizations denounced the fact that the trial process was marked by political interference and that Lopez Ulacio did not receive a fair trial.
Given the risky situation faced by Lopez Ulacio, the weekly’s employees and the journalist’s family, on 7 February the IACHR took emergency action on behalf of the journalist. The IACHR asked the Venezuelan government to put an end to this assault on press freedom, lift the measure of prior censorship being faced by the journalist, and ensure that Lopez Ulacio’s right to a proper defense is upheld.
We note that the harassment, death threats and smear campaigns have continued and as such we fear for Lopez Ulacio’s and his family’s safety. Furthermore, the journalist is still facing a precautionary detention order, a sentence rarely applied under Venezuelan law in cases such as that being pursued against the weekly La Razon.
Given that the Venezuelan government is still refusing to adhere to the measures prescribed by the IACHR, in the name of the more than 1,300 publications, members of IAPA, we urge you to take the necessary steps so that this case is brought before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.”
