Venezuela

WHEREAS the police, political and judicial persecution of Globovisión president Guillermo Zuloaga, of the editor and publisher of the newspaper El Nuevo País and the magazine Z, Rafael Poleo, and of journalist Patricia Poleo has forced them to go into exile; as well there has been such persecution against journalist and editor of the weekly Sexto Poder, Dinorah Girón, and journalist Leocenis García, who is in custody WHEREAS the government of President Hugo Chávez and the control it exercises over the powers that be has enabled it to enact and continue imposing laws and regulations denounced as violating the National Constitution and international treaties, as they deny essential human rights such as freedom of expression and of information WHEREAS 34 radio stations continue to operate under government control (since 2009), as well as television networks RCTV and RCTV Internacional WHEREAS this totalitarian process includes the control of all electronic media and restricts freedom of information on social networks WHEREAS Principle 4 of the Declaration of Chapultepec states that “Freedom of expression and of the press are severely limited by murder, terrorism, kidnapping, intimidation, the unjust imprisonment of journalists, the destruction of facilities, violence of any kind and impunity for perpetrators. Such acts must be investigated promptly and punished harshly” THE 67 IAPA GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLVES to ratify the resolution of the IAPA General Assembly of October 2007 in which the totalitarian and dictatorial nature of the government of Lieut. Col. Hugo Chávez was denounced to call on the government to comply with the Venezuelan Constitution and international treaties 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 approved and denounce the fact that these violate human rights, freedom of expression and right to access to information to ask the government to guarantee the personal integrity and life of journalists and their work tools.