(IPYS/IFEX) – Journalists, camera operators and photographers have recently been threatened, insulted and pushed around by President Hugo Chávez’s supporters and by a leader of the governing party, the Movimiento Quinta República (MVR), while covering activities at the National Elections Council (Consejo Nacional Electoral, CNE) headquarters. According to journalist Valentina Lares, of “Tal Cual” daily, […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – Journalists, camera operators and photographers have recently been threatened, insulted and pushed around by President Hugo Chávez’s supporters and by a leader of the governing party, the Movimiento Quinta República (MVR), while covering activities at the National Elections Council (Consejo Nacional Electoral, CNE) headquarters.
According to journalist Valentina Lares, of “Tal Cual” daily, the verbal abuse has been directed at television reporters in particular. Lares said individuals responsible for insulting members of the press have recently been at the CNE headquarters.
On 8 September 2003, a group of radio, television and print media journalists were reporting on a fire at the CNE offices when a group of Chávez supporters arrived and began verbally threatening the reporters. Hernán Gruber Odremán, a former governor of Caracas and MVR member, was also present and directed offensive remarks at the journalists when they asked him why he was there.
Aymara Lorenzo, a reporter for Globovisión television station, told IPYS that Gruber Odremán called the media workers “assholes” and that there was an attempt to physically attack the reporters outside the offices. The reporters were not harmed, however, because they were on a ramp where the protesters could not reach them.
Reporter Rodrigo Romero, of Televen television station, told IPYS that while the fire was burning at the CNE offices, one of the protesters broke through a barrier erected by the National Guard, which is responsible for CNE security, and struck him on the leg.
On 9 September, Chávez supporters continued to insult and threaten media workers, having remained at the doors of the CNE, demonstrating support for the president.
Lorenzo indicated that some of the protesters at the CNE headquarters were carrying bags of stones. He said that on 9 September a reporter was struck while trying to take a photo of a Chávez sympathiser in discussion with a National Guard official.
The CNE has been an important information source recently in Venezuela, particularly since 25 August, when the Supreme Court named a new CNE executive that is now responsible for reviewing the request, put forward by the opposition on 20 August, for a referendum to repeal Chávez’s mandate.
