VENEZUELA: PRESS FREEDOM UPDATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 03 CARACAS 001544 SIPDIS SIPDIS E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/23/2021 TAGS: PGOV PHUM KDEM SCUL VE SUBJECT: VENEZUELA: PRESS FREEDOM UPDATE CARACAS 00001544 001.2 OF 003 Classified By: Robert Downes, Political Counselor, for Reason 1.4(b). -------------- Summary -------------- ¶1. (C) The Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (BRV) employs a variety of mechanisms -- legal, regulatory, judicial, and rhetorical -- to harass the private media. Post will provide periodic press freedom updates to document these subtle yet effective tactics that reveal a repressive -- indeed, authoritarian if not fascist -- attitude by the BRV toward the free press. Topics in this update: -- Bolivar State government ordered the closure and demolition of newspaper Correo de Coroni; -- The Information Ministry harangued the Inter-American Press Society for defending Correo de Coroni; -- Amnesty International's annual report noted BRV attacks on press using administrative measures; -- Information Minister Lara filed a motion to block RCTV's objection to parts of the press gag law; -- National Assembly deputies charged a political cartoonist with inciting regicide, requiring the artist to explain his motives; and -- Slander charges against journalist Napoleon Bravo were dismissed by a judge, but prosecutors appealed the decision. End Summary. -------------- If You Can't Beat 'Em, Bulldoze 'Em -------------- ¶2. (U) The Bolivar State legislative council decided May 18 that the building in which the fiercely anti-Chavez newspaper Correo de Caroni operates had been incorrectly purchased and zoned in 1991, and recommended to Bolivar State Governor Francisco Rangel Gomez the building be demolished and the newspaper closed. The newspaper director, David Natera, is also head of the outspoken opposition journalist group Bloque de Prensa (Press Bloc) and regional vice chairman of the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA or SIP in Spanish). Natera claimed Rangel was trying to prove his commitment to the BRV with this latest move. During the legislative council's debate, some pro-Chavez representatives opposed the decision, noting a lack of evidence of wrongdoing and questioning the authority of a legislative body to take such an action. The paper continues to publish despite the decision. -------------- MINCI: IAPA Disinformation Campaign -------------- ¶3. (U) The IAPA issued a statement of support for the Correo de Caroni on May 19, calling the BRV's action "ridiculous" and "aimed at silencing the press." IAPA pointed out that Natera had presented a report highly critical of the BRV at its recent meeting, suggesting this latest action was retaliatory. The Ministry of Information and Communication (MINCI) issued a statement rejecting the IAPA communique, accusing the international press freedom organization of mounting a "campaign of lies" against Venezuela. MINCI denied the participation of any national government entity in the decision and affirmed the constitutional authority of the legislative council to take action against the newspaper. The statement boasted that Venezuela has a "high level of citizen liberties, including those of expression and information." -------------- Amnesty: Press Freedom a Concern -------------- ¶4. (U) Separately, Amnesty International (AI) released its CARACAS 00001544 002.2 OF 003 2005 annual report May 22. The concise section on Venezuela included the concern that the BRV was using tax and administrative measures against the media to restrict freedom of expression. AI specifically mentioned the 24-hour closure of Barquisimeto daily El Impulso by the tax authority SENIAT, suggesting the measure was in retaliation for the newspaper's criticism of the BRV at the IAPA annual meeting. MVR Deputy Jose Khan responded to the report May 23, alleging that AI was trying to skew public opinion to favor Chavez' political opposition. Khan argued that respect for human rights had improved markedly over that of the previous regime. -------------- MINCI Joins Suit In Favor Of Press Law -------------- ¶5. (U) Minister of Information and Communication Willian Lara announced May 16 he had filed an injunction against the suit filed by RCTV television station director Marcel Granier against the Social Responsibility Law (RESORTE, the law that regulates the press). Lara said the Ministry had an obligation to defend the law and then proceeded to attack each of Granier's accusations. Separately, Lara said that he had advised President Chavez that a portion of his weekly national broadcast "Alo, Presidente!" should be devoted to an analysis of the news media. -------------- -------------- "Kill Chavez" Cartoon Not Funny, But Not Bad Faith -------------- -------------- ¶6. (U) Fifth Republic Movement (MVR) Deputy Calixto Ortega was incensed by a political cartoon published May 5 in the Caracas daily El Mundo. The cartoon depicts a frantic woman calling in the "emergency" of escalating violence in Venezuela; when she asks the operator what to do, the latter responds, "Kill him," an obvious reference to Chavez. Ortega accused the paper of inciting the assassination of the president and called for a parliamentary investigation. Both the publisher and the cartoonist were called to a hearing to explain the cartoon, which they argued was merely a parody to call attention to a growing social problem. Ultimately, the National Assembly's Interior Committee declared that there was no "bad faith" in the publication of the cartoon. One MVR deputy said he missed the ironic humor of the cartoon and warned that such cartoons should not happen again. Nonetheless, he observed, the fact that the government did not take action proved that there is freedom of expression in Venezuela. -------------- --- Napoleon Bravo: Charges Dismissed, But Appealed -------------- --- ¶7. (U) Slander charges against well-known journalist Napoleon Bravo were dismissed by a Caracas judge May 16. The charges were filed by then-Supreme Court President Ivan Rincon in September 2004 when Bravo called the Court "a brothel." The judge cited procedural errors in dismissing the case. Prosecutors, however, appealed the decision May 24, alleging that the judge had herself erred. Bravo's case remains pending before the Supreme Court. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶8. (C) The thin-skinned BRV is trying to castrate the press through judicial intimidation and harassment. Venezuelan journalists, like some civil society organizations, are feeling the brunt of the BRV's efforts to criminalize political dissent. While the BRV tries to play a coy game of it by charging but not convicting, convicting but freeing, organizations that follow international press freedom issues see through the tactic -- viz the Inter-American Commission on Human Right's recent statement that the BRV imposes press CARACAS 00001544 003.2 OF 003 restrictions that run contrary to international norms. As much as any other set of actions taken by the BRV, the continuing assault on the independent media shows its increasingly repressive nature. BROWNFIELD