(IPYS/IFEX) – The Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo de Justicia, TSJ) has dismissed a case filed against the private television stations Radio Caracas Televisión, Venevisión, Televen, Globovisión, CMT, Meridiano and Puma TV. The stations had been accused of interfering with the transmission of a nation-wide radio and television broadcast by President Hugo Chávez. On 11 April […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – The Supreme Court (Tribunal Supremo de Justicia, TSJ) has dismissed a case filed against the private television stations Radio Caracas Televisión, Venevisión, Televen, Globovisión, CMT, Meridiano and Puma TV. The stations had been accused of interfering with the transmission of a nation-wide radio and television broadcast by President Hugo Chávez.
On 11 April 2002, while the political opposition held a demonstration, the private television stations split their screens in two during the broadcast of the president’s message, in order to simultaneously show live images of the disturbances taking place around the presidential palace, Miraflores. Nineteen people were killed and dozens more were injured during the violent clashes.
On 7 October, Bárbara Vesci Orsi and Nidia Cáceres Mendoza filed a complaint with the TSJ, asking that the court forbid the accused stations from interfering with the transmission of presidential messages or speeches in the future.
Following a submission by Magistrate Jesús Eduardo Cabrera, the TSJ’s Constitutional Chamber dismissed the case. The plaintiffs failed to present any proof that the television stations had violated the Telecommunications Law, on which their complaint was based.
The court also dismissed the plaintiffs’ request for “protection” against anticipated future actions. The TSJ noted that should the television stations violate the Telecommunications Law in the future, the National Telecommunications Commission, a branch of the Infrastructure Ministry, would be charged with taking disciplinary action.
