WHEREAS the government of President Hugo Chávez and the control he exercises over the branches of government enable him to continue imposing laws violating the National Constitution and international treaties which deny essential human rights such as freedom of expression;
WHEREAS these laws favor making dissent a criminal offense and prosecution for political reasons without due process;
WHEREAS this process includes the control of all electronic media and threatens dissemination of news via the new technologies and social media;
WHEREAS police, political and judicial persecution of the president of Globovisión, Guillermno Zuloaga, El Nuevo País newspaper and Z magazine reporter and editor Rafael Poleo and journalist Patricia Poleo forces them to remain in exile;
WHEREAS the Venezuelan government is not complying with the requirement ordered by the Inter-American Human Rights Court to guarantee freedom to seek, receive and disseminate information and the right of journalists and executives of various news media in Venezuela to physical integrity;
WHEREAS a total of 345 radio stations (since 2009) and television network RCTV and RCTV Internacional continue to be shut down;
WHEREAS principle 2 of the Declaration of Chapultepec states that every person has the right to seek and receive information, express opinions and disseminate them freely; no one may restrict or deny these rights;
THE IAPA MIDYEAR MEETING RESOLVES:
to condemn before the international community, the Organization of American States and the United Nations the actions and laws that violate democratic principles which President Chávez has condoned;
to demand that the government comply with the Constitution and international treaties;
to ask the government to allow the visit of the Inter-American Human Rights Court and the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression.
next events
Madrid, Spain