Venezuela

WHEREAS the government of President Hugo Chávez and the control that he exercises over public institutions has enabled him to enact and continue to impose laws and regulations denounced as violating the National Constitution and international treaties, denying essential human rights such as freedom of expression and of information WHEREAS those acts of legislation favor making dissidence a criminal offense and persecution simply for political reasons and without due process WHEREAS police, political and judicial persecution of the president of Globovisión, Guillermo Zuloaga, the journalist and publisher of the newspaper El Nuevo País and Zeta magazine, Rafael Poleo, and journalist Patricia Poleo has forced them to go into exile WHEREAS in the legal proceedings resulting from the publication of a photo that exposes a violation of human rights, a judge is keeping the case open against the newspapers El Nacional and La Prensa de Barinas WHEREAS the Venezuelan government is not complying with the requirement made by the Inter-American Human Rights Court to guarantee freedom to seek, receive and disseminate information, and the right to the physical integrity of journalists and executives of various news media in Venezuela (the most prominent being Globovisión and RCTV) WHEREAS thirty-four stations remain closed as well as television channels RCTV and RCTV International WHEREAS Principle 2 of the Declaration of Chapultepec states “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 68th IAPA GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLVES To call for an end to political, police and judicial persecution of journalists and media executives To issue a call to the authorities of Venezuela to show full readiness for and tolerance of the free exercise of freedom of the press To ask President Hugo Chávez for revision and elimination of laws that violate democratic principles, human rights, freedom of expression, and access to information To call on the government to comply with the Venezuelan Constitution and international treaties.