Venezuela

The Inter American Press Association expresses indignation at the announcement by Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro of the creation of two government newspapers at the same time that one of the pioneer papers in the country reported that it will cease publishing.

On August 25, 2014, Jenny Oropeza, a journalist with Diario 2001, received an intimidating message from Jonny Eduardo Bolívar Jiménez, identified as the main suspect in the March 24 homicide of Adriana Urquiola, a sign language interpreter for Noticiero Venevisión.

On August 24, 2014, Marco Ruíz, a journalist with Últimas Noticias, a newspaper with nationwide circulation, reported via Twitter (@mruizsilvera) that his article about fingerprinting ID for food purchases had been censored.

In the past twelve months, representatives of the regional offices of Aragua, Anzoátegui and Nueva Esparta of the National College of Journalists (CNP in Spanish) reported that alleged criminal elements had broken in and robbed equipment from the facilities and adjacent offices.

The international press has largely shifted its focus away from Venezuela, but government repression has continued in less conspicuous forms.

Gonzalo Ruiz, a correspondent for Colombian news channel NTN24, was assaulted and briefly detained by National Bolivarian Police officers while covering a confrontation between students and police in San Cristóbal.

Francisco Armada, the Poder Popular minister of health, has accused several private media outlets of leading a national destabilization campaign through their coverage of the Chikungunya virus and the supply of anti-retroviral drugs.

On July 18, 2014, Jesús González, the director of El Sol de Maturín, was fired after the paper’s shareholders imposed a strict new editorial line supporting the ruling party.

The recent suspensions and departures of so many writers at El Universal is definitely alarming, as it will likely diminish the spectrum of opinions in Venezuela, a country where the open spaces of opinions are becoming less and less common.

After telling station executives that she would go public with story on the station censoring her work, TV journalist Hecmiry Lugo is fired from DAT TV in Carabobo.

El Universal, which just celebrated its 105th year running, is the third leading private media company to be sold in Venezuela since March 2013. The publication has faced challenges from currency exchange restrictions and lack of newsprint.

“The lack of an independent judiciary to curb the government’s abuses in Venezuela makes it all the more important that Unasur press the Maduro administration to protect the rights of protesters,” says José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch.

The Board of WAN-IFRA is deeply alarmed by what is considered a historically dire situation for the press in Venezuela. The Board condemns the strategy of Nicolás Maduro’s government to intimidate and ultimately asphyxiate the independent media.

IAPA has invited the “Inter-American Human Rights Court to rule against the Venezuelan government’s decision to halt RCTV’s license and retaliate against it for its editorial stance”.

A member of the National Bolivarian Guard (the national army) deliberately fired on three clearly identified journalists during a student demonstration in the Caracas district of Palos Grandes on 14 May 2014.

Horacio Siciliano, a photojournalist with Reporte Confidencial, was pepper-sprayed in the face by a National Bolivarian Police officer when he was trying to cover the arrest of a young man in Caracas.