Venezuelan arrest warrant troubles CPJ

We made the following statement today after the Venezuelan government issued an arrest warrant for Guillermo Zuloaga, president of Globovisión, on usury and conspiracy charges.

“The fact that the warrant came a week after President Hugo Chávez publicly lamented that Zuloaga remained free is alarming, especially since Globovisión has been the target of a barrage of government investigations,” said Carlos Lauría, CPJ senior Americas program coordinator. “If the government is using Zuloaga’s prosecution as a pretext to silence and intimidate the only remaining critical broadcaster, the rights of citizens to be informed will be seriously restricted and Venezuela’s democracy will suffer yet another blow.”