PRESS FREEDOM UPDATE

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 03 OF 03 CARACAS 000907 SIPDIS SIPDIS HQSOUTHCOM ALSO FOR POLAD DEPT PASS TO AID/OTI RPORTER E.O. 12958: DECL: 05/04/2017 TAGS: PHUM PGOV KDEM SCUL VE SUBJECT: PRESS FREEDOM UPDATE *********************** * Missing Section 001 * *********************** *********************** * Missing Section 002 * *********************** CARACAS 00000907 003 OF 003 -------------- ¶10. (U) On April 5, retired Brigadier General (and former Finance Minister) Francisco Uson's right to receive visitors was suspended for seven days for allegedly sending and receiving "clandestine" correspondence (ref D). (Note: Uson is serving a five and one-half year sentence at Ramo Verde military prison for alleged "defamation" of the military. He is listed as a political prisoner in the 2006 Human Rights Report. End Note.) The decision appears to be in retaliation to Uson's March 23 open letter in support of RCTV. According to Uson's lawyer, the prison director's unilateral decision violated his client's right to due process and legal assistance. Judicial NGO Foro Penal included General Uson's case in its April 15 report documenting several politically motivated cases (ref E). Uson's wife plans to travel to Europe in June with Foro Penal to garner support for her husband's case and that of other political prisoners in Venezuela. -------------- Attacks on independent media continue -------------- ¶11. (SBU) Arlen Salazar, director of the small weekly newspaper in Anzoategui state, "El Portavoz," reported that on April 3 one of his company vehicles was torched in the early morning hours with a molotov cocktail. At the time of the incident, the vehicle was parked outside of Salazar's home where he and his family slept. Salazar alleges pro-government mayor of Bruzual municipality, Adelmo Leon, sanctioned the act in an effort to intimidate and silence the newspaper. Two weeks prior to the occurrence, "El Portavoz" ran a story accusing Leon of misappropriating municipality funds. Leon publicly lashed out against Salazar and "El Portavoz" following the column's publishing. -------------- Comment -------------- ¶12. (C) With less than a month to go before the BRV-imposed May 28 deadline, it appears the BRV will make good its threat to close RCTV. The closure of Venezuela's only remaining independent non-cable broadcaster would have lasting implications for press freedom and severely affect media pluralism in Venezuela. RCTV, however, is merely the poster child for the BRV's "plata or plomo" approach to all media: we will close you or we will buy you. The BRV continues to employ a variety of legal and judicial mechanisms against those it considers dissenters, as is the case of General Uson. Likewise, the continued use of violence and intimation against outlets that expose corrupt BRV officials is worrisome. ¶13. (C) When intimidation does not work or is inconvenient, the BRV has shown itself more than willing to either buy established media or establish competing state-controlled media to drown out opposing voices. In line with information we have received from other sources, "El Universal" is up for sale. Mata, facing death threats and kidnapping plots, spends most of his time outside of Venezuela. The BRV may leave a few symbolic news outlets such as "Tal Cual" and Globovision alone, as proof that press freedom still exists in Venezuela. Nevertheless, it is increasingly clear that the BRV's tolerance for public opposition of any sort is rapidly decreasing, and that DOMESTIC and international efforts to fight back have emboldened Chavez in his assaults on the media. BROWNFIELD