(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Miguel Useche, president of the Tenth Court of Appeals of the Metropolitan Area of Caracas Criminal Division, RSF protested “the order for the house arrest of Pablo Lopez Ulacio, editor of ‘La Razon’ weekly”. RSF asked the judge to ensure that this measure is annulled. Recalling that RSF “disapproves […]
(RSF/IFEX) – In a letter to Miguel Useche, president of the Tenth Court of Appeals of the Metropolitan Area of Caracas Criminal Division, RSF protested “the order for the house arrest of Pablo Lopez Ulacio, editor of ‘La Razon’ weekly”. RSF asked the judge to ensure that this measure is annulled. Recalling that RSF “disapproves of Pablo Lopez Ulacio’s repeated refusals to appear in court,” Robert Ménard, RSF’s secretary-general, nevertheless stated that “this behaviour does not justify under any circumstances the journalist’s house arrest.” Finally, RSF protested “the order which prohibits the journalist from publishing any information on Multinacional de Seguros”, as “this is a violation of Article 58 of the Constitution, which prohibits censorship”.
According to information collected by RSF, on 4 August 2000, Judge Graudi Villegas ordered the house arrest of Lopez Ulacio, editor of “La Razon” weekly, after the journalist failed to appear in court that day. On 13 July, the judge agreed to lift a similar order in exchange for the journalistâs promise to appear in court on 4 August. The “La Razon” editor is being accused of defamation by the Multinacional de Seguros insurance company. The weekly published articles which denounced alleged irregularities in the company’s procurement of public contracts.
The journalist’s lawyer, Omar Estacio, explained that his client had not appeared because he could not be given “the most basic guarantees that he would be tried in an impartial manner.” According to the journalist, the trial has political ramifications, as Tobias Carrero, president of Multinacional de Seguros, is a friend of President Hugo Chávez and Luis Miquilena, president of the transitional Legislative Commission. Estacio further complained that “it had not been possible to present certain evidence which substantiated [some] of the accusations published in the daily.” Lopez Ulacio has fled and is currently missing. His lawyer filed an appeal with the Tenth Court of Appeals of the Metropolitan Area of Caracas Criminal Division.
RSF further recalled that on 22 June, the then presiding judge, David Pérez Perera, prohibited Lopez Ulacio from publishing any further information on Multinacional de Seguros. This order was not lifted by the judgeâs successor. Thus far, the dailyâs editor has refused to comply with the decision, asserting that it violates Article 58 of the Constitution, which establishes citizensâ right to access to information “without censorship”.
