Venezuela

WHEREAS the government decided to ignore the sentence of the Inter-American Human Rights Court which condemned the government for violating the Human Rights Convention and consequently ordered it to restore the signal and equipment that were confiscated arbitrarily from Radio Caracas Televisión WHEREAS on the orders of the president of the National Assembly civil and criminal proceedings have been opened against the publishers and executives of the daily newspaper El Nacional, the weekly Tal Cual and the Web site La Patilla, ordering prohibition of transfer of their assets and their leaving the country WHEREAS there is maintained the rationing or prohibition of provision of newsprint or foreign exchange to media critical of the government and defenders of their independent editorial stances WHEREAS constant and generalized are the denunciations of violations of freedom of expression, through physical violence, scare tactics, censorships, prohibition of access to public information and dismissal of press workers WHEREAS Principle 1 of the Declaration of Chapultepec states: “No people or society can be free without freedom of expression and of the press. The exercise of this freedom is not something authorities grant, it is an inalienable right of the people.” THE IAPA GENERAL ASSEMBLY RESOLVES to reject the disregarding of the sentence against the government in the Radio Caracas Televisión case and urged a rectification and due compliance be given it, according to the terms decreed by the Inter-American Human Rights Court to repudiate the anti-democratic behavior of those in power against the independent press and critical media to give backing to media and journalists victims of violation of their fundamental rights and to reject physical violence, scare tactics, censorship, dismissals and ban on access to public information, and the discriminatory rationing of newsprint and the abusive and indiscriminate use of official radio and television networks, with proselytizing propaganda ends to continue denouncing and look for new mechanisms for the restitution of the rights of independent journalists. In particular and meanwhile ask the IAPA members to maintain full coverage and engage in careful study, from the point of public opinion, of the congressional elections process that will take place next December 6.