(IPYS/IFEX) – On 22 January 2003, Fernando Malavé, a photojournalist with the daily “2001”, was detained by Miraflores Presidential Palace security agents while covering events in the area. Malavé was taking photographs of the security perimeter around the presidential palace when he was stopped by an official wearing an identification badge from the Secretariat (Ministerio […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 22 January 2003, Fernando Malavé, a photojournalist with the daily “2001”, was detained by Miraflores Presidential Palace security agents while covering events in the area.
Malavé was taking photographs of the security perimeter around the presidential palace when he was stopped by an official wearing an identification badge from the Secretariat (Ministerio de la Secretaría de la Presidencia). The official informed Malavé that photographing the military enclosure was prohibited and proceeded to detain the photojournalist.
Malavé told the press that the official “stopped the press vehicle and called officers from the Prevention and Intelligence Services Directorate (Direccion de Servicios de Inteligencia y Prevencion, DISIP) and the traffic police. He warned that if I did not go with him to the Miraflores Palace security office, he would have the car set on fire and aks government supporters to take away our equipment.”
The officer took Malavé to the Military House, an elite unit entrusted with the president’s security, located across from the Miraflores Palace. An army major named Pulido explained that a permit was required to take photographs of the area and suggested that the photojournalist erase the images from his digital camera. Malavé was released one hour later, but not before he had erased all the photographs he had taken of the security perimeter.
On 3 December 2002, Malavé was wounded by buckshots fired by the National Guard, while covering an opposition rally in Chuao, eastern Caracas (see IFEX alerts of 9 and 5 December 2002).
In a separate incident, on 22 January, a group of journalists were attacked as they covered a demonstration by hooded individuals near an educational centre, close to Miraflores Palace.
The demonstrators threw stones and bottles at the journalists and tried to prevent television camera operators from capturing the violent incident on film. The journalists were not injured.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to Colonel Almidien Moreno Acosta:
– asking that he ensure that journalists’ rights are respected
Send appeals to Attorney General Isaías Rodríguez:
– calling for an investigation into the incident
Appeals To
Colonel Almidien Moreno Acosta
Military House Chief
Tel: +58 212 806 32 83
Fax: +58 212 806 39 94
Isaías Rodríguez
Attorney General
Tel: +58 212 509 80 54 / +58 212 509 80 77
Fax: +58 212 576 44 19
Please copy appeals to the source if possible.
