WHEREAS freedom of expression and of the press face significant setbacks and a highly restrictive environment
WHEREAS freedom of expression and of the press face significant setbacks and a highly restrictive environment
WHEREAS digital censorship continues in the country; including blocks on websites of critical media, civil society organizations, and media digital platforms; restrictions on access to social media platforms and messaging apps; harassment, intimidation, and direct attacks against media outlets and journalists; stigmatizing discourse aimed at criminalizing or delegitimizing the work of independent press; and arbitrary detentions and imprisonment, a repression scheme that results in self-censorship and the exodus of journalists
WHEREAS 18 journalists and media workers remain imprisoned: Carlos Marcano, Juan Pablo Guanipa, Mario Chávez Cohen, Nakary Mena Ramos, Gianni González, Juan Francisco Alvarado, Rory Branker, Ángel Godoy, Julio César Balza, Leandro Palmar, Belises Salvador Cubillán, Biagio Pilieri, Víctor Hugas, Roland Carreño, Gabriel González, Luis López, Carlos Julio Rojas, and Ramón Centeno
WHEREAS radio and television are subjected to the so-called “Resorte Law,” a punitive and discretionary instrument that imposes self-censorship across the entire broadcast spectrum, and there are no independent print media, only a few newspapers aligned with the government
WHEREAS internet blocking affects more than 80 digital news sites, including international media such as CNN, NTN24, and Infobae, actions carried out through communications companies such as Telefónica and its subsidiary Movistar, which hold over 50 percent of the internet market
WHEREAS Principles 4 and 5 of the Declaration of Chapultepec establish 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” as well as “restrictions on the circulation of the media or dissemination of their reports, forced publication of information, the imposition of obstacles to the free flow of news, and restrictions on the activities and movements of journalists”
WHEREAS the Declaration of Salta II on Principles of Freedom of Expression in the Digital Age, in Principles 3 and 5, establishes that “governments should not inhibit, through regulation or action, access to the Internet and expressions of public interest in the digital space; nor should they impose aggravated sanctions against self-expression in that space nor penalize criticism, information, or protest against public officials or individuals who voluntarily expose themselves to public scrutiny on matters of public interest,” and that “blocking and filtering access and/or content through state control in the digital space constitutes prior censorship, according to the American Convention on Human Rights.”
THE 81st GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE IAPA RESOLVES
To condemn the systematic violation by Nicolás Maduro’s regime of freedom of expression and of the press
To demand the cessation of persecution against journalists and media, arbitrary detentions, attacks, and criminalization of independent journalistic activity
To demand the release of journalists and media workers arbitrarily detained, respect for international standards on freedom of expression, and guarantees of due process in judicial cases against journalists
To request that the international community continue monitoring the state of press freedom, demand respect for journalists’ human rights, and support initiatives that strengthen independent journalism in the country
To promote that journalistic associations continue documenting and denouncing attacks against the press
To express solidarity with journalists, media outlets, human rights defenders, and citizens whose rights to freedom of expression and of the press are affected.
