(IAPA/IFEX) – The following is a 14 May 2004 IAPA press release: The IAPA repudiates call to strip journalists of their citizenship in Venezuela MIAMI, Florida (May 14, 2004) – The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) today condemned as a serious attack on press freedom a measure passed by Venezuelan Congress, calling for four journalists […]
(IAPA/IFEX) – The following is a 14 May 2004 IAPA press release:
The IAPA repudiates call to strip journalists of their citizenship in Venezuela
MIAMI, Florida (May 14, 2004) – The Inter American Press Association (IAPA) today condemned as a serious attack on press freedom a measure passed by Venezuelan Congress, calling for four journalists and a news executive to be stripped of their Venezuelan citizenship in retaliation for their professional activities.
The chairman of the IAPA’s Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, Rafael Molina, expressed surprise at the “creativity” of certain Venezuelan ruling party legislators. This was a clear reference to Member of Congress Iris Varela, who introduced the proposal, calling the journalists in question unpatriotic. The congressional request must now be taken up by the Venezuelan Attorney General’s Office.
Molina, from the Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic newspaper El Nacional, added that “this measure not only violates press freedom principles and international treaties, but also constitutional precepts which stipulate that people born in Venezuela may not be stripped of their citizenship” – a reference to media magnate Gustavo Cisneros and journalist Napoleón Bravo.
In addition to these two individuals, the measure passed today by the ruling party majority in Congress would also apply to two naturalized Venezuelan journalists, Spanish-born Marta Colomina and Uruguayan-born Norberto Maza. There was also a call for the cancellation of Cuban-born Robert Alonso’s citizenship.
According to Molina, “Although this is a totally ridiculous decision, it does indicate the degree of intolerance and persecution of those who exercise their freedom of opinion. Just this week, we expressed concern at other attacks on press freedom in Venezuela and we have been warning of a strategy to silence voices that are critical of the government.”
Earlier this week, the IAPA expressed concern at a raid on a ranch owned by Cisneros as well as the summoning of Patricia Poleo, of the newspaper El Nuevo País, to appear before a military tribunal and attacks and death threats against journalists from the daily El Universal.
