2009

We issued the following statement after some 30 gunmen, identified by reporters at the scene as government supporters, stormed the premises of broadcaster Globovisión in Caracas, disarmed the station’s security guards, and fired tear gas…

We issued the following statement today in response to Venezuelan Minister of Housing and Public Works Diosdado Cabello’s announcement that regulators have revoked the broadcast licenses of 34 private radio stations…

New York, July 30, 2009–A bill by Venezuela’s attorney general that punishes “press crimes” with prison terms is an unprecedented step in the crusade by President Hugo Chávez Frías’ administration to curtail media freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. 

Dear Mr. Cabello: The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by your recent announcement that regulators may revoke the concessions of 240 radio stations for failing to update their registration papers. We believe that this decision is yet another attempt by Venezuelan authorities to expand pro-government media, control the flow of information, and suppress dissent.

In response to today’s request by the Venezuelan National Telecommunications Commission (CONATEL) that the Attorney General’s Office determine whether the private broadcaster Globovisión is criminally liable for violating the telecommunications law, we issued the following statement…

New York, May 29, 2009–President Hugo Chávez Frías is damaging Venezuelan democracy by continuing to threaten private media with reprisals and making unwarranted accusations against the press, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. 

On February13, 2009, Venezuelan authorities arrested Rafael Segundo Pérez, a former sergeant for the Carabobo police, in connection to the January 16 killing of journalist Orel Sambrano, according to local news reports. Pérez is accused of working as a hired assassin and conspiring to commit a crime.

Official intolerance of criticism and unfounded government accusations promoted a climate of fear among Venezuelan journalists. Tensions reached new heights in September when, without providing evidence, President Hugo Chávez Frías and high-ranking administration officials accused private media outlets of plotting to overthrow the government and murder the president. With violent crime rates escalating, the murder…

New York, February 9, 2009–In an interview published on Friday, the leader of the Venezuelan pro-government group La Piedrita took responsibility for a series of attacks against local journalists and media outlets, and threatened to attack the 24-hours news channel Globovisión and RCTV Director Marcel Granier. The Committee to Protect Journalists called today on Venezuelan…