Venezuela II

WHEREAS freedom of expression in Venezuela has been reduced to a minimum and there is a dramatic increase in attacks upon the practice of journalism, journalists and news media

WHEREAS there is an intensification in intimidating practices, institutional and physical violence that criminalize the search for and dissemination of information

WHEREAS there has been turned into a recurring practice the throwing of journalists off the streets and avenues where citizens' demands are produced

WHEREAS the security bodies and public bands use against journalists and citizen informants physical violence, verbal violence, intimidation, theft and confiscation of equipment, expel them from public places and buildings

WHEREAS access to the Internet is every day more precarious, the Internet being the means by which Venezuelans mostly learn what is happening

WHEREAS the government has developed mechanisms of all kinds against the dissemination of news over the Internet, hiring international hackers, blocking pages and intimidating Web journalists and citizen informants

WHEREAS official restriction in the provision of newsprint continues to reduce the number of newspapers that are still circulating, the size and number of their copies

WHEREAS there have been produced deportations and obstacles for the practice of journalism by no less than 17 foreign correspondents, including the expulsion of CNN En Español

WHEREAS there continues the situation of editors and reporters going into exile because of trials that do not advance and the threat of being imprisoned if they return to the country

WHEREAS Braulio Jatar, publisher of Reporte Confidencial, of Chilean-Venezuelan dual nationality, remains in prison without a transparent trial and in seriously deteriorating health

WHEREAS the government of Venezuela has not complied with the ruling of the Inter-American Human Rights Court concerning restitution of the signal of RCTV television channel, return of its equipment and payment of indemnity

WHEREAS in Venezuela the majority of the principles expressed in the Declaration of Chapultepec are violated

WHEREAS that Venezuela has again been unable to access information independently by censorship and banning the CNN en Español channel as well as the NTN 24 channel at the request of the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel);

THE IAPA MIDYEAR MEETING RESOLVES

to urge the international community to continue to denounce the serious situation that Venezuela is undergoing

to provide the OAS with more documents and evidence relative to Article 4 of the Democratic Charter which establishes among other principles "freedom of expression and of the press are essential components of the exercise of democracy"

to address the Chilean government that it be more forceful in asking the Venezuelan government to release Braulio Jatar

to urge the government to comply with the ruling of the Inter-American Human Rights Court on the case of RCTV

to provide information about Venezuela to the international community and to the world organizations that have to do with human rights and freedom of expression