OAS » IACHR » Special Rapporteurship for Freedom of Expression » Venezuela

Freedom of Expression

Venezuela

 

186.  The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression made two visits to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela in 2002 at the invitation of President Hugo Chávez Frías.

 

187.  The Office of the Special Rapporteur has been concerned to observe an increase in the number of threats and attacks against journalists, particularly those covering political events and meetings during the course of 2002.  During and after the on-site visits conducted in May 2002, the Office of the Special Rapporteur was informed that journalists had been the direct target of aggression and harassment.  The general situation in Venezuela has created a climate of aggression and threats against the personal integrity of journalists, camera technicians, photographers, and other media workers.  Attacks against the media include the murder of a journalist; physical attacks, including gunshot wounds, threats, and explosives.  The situation has an intimidating effect on the media; journalists hesitate to identify themselves as such for fear of reprisals.

 

188.  In response to these circumstances the IACHR has requested the Venezuelan state to take precautionary measures on seven occasions, with extensions in several of these cases, to protect the lives, personal integrity, and freedom of expression of journalists, camera technicians, and photographers under attack.  The IACHR has also requested provisional measures from the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, since the efforts to protect these individuals did not produce the desired results, the attacks against them having continued over time.

 

189.  The acts of harassment and threats against journalists in recent months attest to an atmosphere of intimidation and intolerance for the profession of journalism in Venezuela.  Although journalists continue to criticize the government, the continuation of this harassment could result in a situation of media self-censorship.

 

190.  In addition to the foregoing, the Office of the Special Rapporteur has been informed that a complete and exhaustive investigation of these attacks on journalists and the media has yet to be conducted.  The Office of the Special Rapporteur takes this opportunity to point out that impunity in these investigations also contributes to an atmosphere of intimidation and fear that is detrimental to the full enjoyment of the freedom of expression in Venezuela.

 

191.  The Commission has held that the State's failure to conduct an effective and complete investigation into homicides, disappearances, or other attacks against journalists, and to impose criminal sanctions against the material and intellectual perpetrators of such acts is especially grave, given the impact though such inaction on society.  Such crimes have an intimidating effect not only on other journalists but also on citizens in general, creating fear to denounce attacks, abuses, and illicit acts of all kinds.  This effect can be avoided only if the State takes decisive action to punish the perpetrators of homicide against media representatives.  By taking such action, states can send a strong and direct message to society that those who commit such grave violations of the right to freedom of expression will not be tolerated.[i]

 

192.  During and after the IACHR's on-site visits to Venezuela, it came to the attention of the Office of the Special Rapporteur that the Venezuelan society could not gain access to information during the events of April 2002, and that the media were in some instances used as a political tool during the Venezuelan crisis.  In a press release issued in May 2002, the IACHR indicated that "although there may be various justifications to explain this lack of information, the extent to which the suppression of information resulted from politically motivated editorial decisions should be a subject of careful reflection by the Venezuelan media about the role they play under such circumstances." Although the media in Venezuela have the right to adopt the editorial position that decide, the Office of the Special Rapporteur again calls upon the media in Venezuela to initiate a process of reflection about their role in times of political crisis, when society expects to receive the most comprehensive and ample information.  Although according to the information provided by several sources[ii], media coverage of the current crisis in Venezuela appears to be guided by politically motivated editorial decisions, the Office of the Special Rapporteur wishes to emphasize that under no circumstances can such an attitude on the part of the media, repeatedly denounced by the government, justify aggression against journalists and other media workers and facilities.

 

193.  Some of the incidents of violence against the media reported to the Office of the Special Rapporteur in 2002 are described below.  The information provided in no way constitutes an exhaustive account of the complaints received, merely a number of situations that exemplify the delicate situation in which the media has to operate in the current context of crisis in Venezuela.

 

Assassination

 

194.  On 11 April 2002, Jorge Tortoza, of Vespertino 2001, died as the result of a gunshot to the head.  Following the general strike organized by the Workers Confederation of Venezuela (CTV) and the industry association Fedecamaras, snipers positioned in several buildings adjacent to the Presidential Palace of Miraflores, fired machine guns and other firearms on persons in the area, resulting in the death of the journalist Tortoza and the injury of three other journalists. Jorge Tortoza, who had been working for the paper since the age of 16, was taken to Vargas Hospital, where he died following surgery.  According to the information received, the Criminal Investigations Unit (CIPC) of the Venezuelan police, continues to investigate the case.[iii]

 

Gun shot victims

 

195.  On 11 April 2002 Luis Hernández, of the official agency Venpres and Jonathan Freitas, of the newspaper Tal Cual were wounded by gunshots after covering the general strike organized by the Workers Confederation of Venezuela (CTV), and the industry association Fedecamaras.[iv]

 

196.  In August 2002, Antonio José Monroy, a camera technician for RCTV, was hit by a bullet in the right calf as he covered a disturbance near the Supreme Tribunal of Justice, when the court's decision acquitting four military officers of charges in connection with a coup d'etat in April 2002.[v]

 

197.  On 4 November 2002, Salvadoran journalist Mauricio Muñoz Amaya, a correspondent for Associated Press Television News (APTN), was hit by a bullet while on the job in the Venezuelan capital.  The incident took place as the reporter was recording images of a disturbance near the National Electoral Council (CNE), in the center of Caracas. Muñoz was wounded by a bullet from a 9mm pistol, which hit him in the right portion of his chest.  The injury was not serious because the cameraman was wearing a bulletproof vest.[vi]

 

198.  On 12 November 2002, the reporter Armando Amaya, camera assistant for Radio Caracas Televisión, was wounded as he covered a demonstration in the center of Caracas, which culminated in acts of violence.  A bullet grazed his right leg, causing a slight injury. According to the information provided, the cameraman was assisted by Caracas firefighters, who took him to the municipal infirmary for medical attention.[vii]

I.                      

199.  On 3 December 2002, Fernando Malavé, a reporter for Diario 2001, was hit by a rubber bullet as he, together with journalist Félix Azuaje, were covering a demonstration by a group of government opponents, outside the headquarters of the state company Petróleros de Venezuela, located in Chuao, to the east of Caracas.  Malavé was taken to Domingo Luciani Hospital in Caracas.  Other media representatives covering the events were also affected.  The microwave technician for the television station CMT, José Antonio Dávila, was wounded by shotgun pellets in the neck and chest.  Journalist Rafael Fuenmayor of CMT, was kicked and affected by a tear gas bomb that fell at his feet as he was reporting live from the scene.[viii]

 

Attacks

 

200.  On 31 January, a homemade bomb was thrown from a moving motorcycle in front of the offices of the newspaper "Así es la Noticia."  The bomb destroyed the glass entrance and forced 200 employees to evacuate the building.[ix]

 

201.  On 9 July 2002 four firebombs were thrown at the offices of the regional television station Promar TV, located in the city of Barquisimento, in the state of Lara.[x]

 

202.  On 9 July 2002, a small bomb exploded at the headquarters of the private television station Globovisión, in La Florida, a settlement located northeast of Caracas.[xi]

 

203.  On 31 July 2002 the Venezuelan channel Globovisión was hit by a second attack by unknown persons.  According to the information received, a tear gas bomb was thrown from a car passing in front of the channel's headquarters.[xii]

 

204.  On 22 September 2002 unidentified persons fired gunshots at the residence of Carlos Barrios, director of the regional radio station Astro 97.7 FM, located in the state of Portuguesa in western Venezuela. Barrios indicated that after the attack he received a call on his cell phone telling him that the next shots would be fired at him.[xiii]

 

205.  On 19 October 2002 unidentified persons threw an explosive device into the offices of Unión Radio, located in the municipality of Chacao, in Caracas.  The explosion damaged the station's external structure and the facade of an adjacent family residence.  The news director for Unión Radio, Inés Scudellari, told the press that prior to the incident she and other employees of the station had received threats at the station by fax, telephone, and the Internet.[xiv]

 

206.  On 17 November 2002 an explosive device was thrown at the headquarters of the private television channel Globovisión, outside of Caracas.  The device, probably a Molotov cocktail according to the firefighters, caused a fire that destroyed three vehicles.[xv] 

Other threats and aggression warranting the adoption of precautionary measures by the IACHR

 

207.  Given the large amount of information received by the Office of the Special Rapporteur concerning aggression and attacks against journalists and the media in general in 2002, this section, without prejudice to the cases indicated earlier, refers to a number of examples of situations warranting that the IACHR take some kind of action, such as precautionary measures or press releases, to promote the full observance and exercise of the freedom of expression in Venezuela.

 

The newspaper “El Nacional”

 

208.  On 7 January 2002, a group of citizens identifying themselves as members of the Movimiento Bolivariano 2000 and Círculos Bolivarianos gathered at the headquarters of the newspaper “El Nacional.”  The citizens supposedly gathered there to demonstrate against the newspaper's editorial positions.

 

209.  The aggressive posture assumed by these demonstrators included “brandishing objects that could serve as makeshift weapons (sticks, tubes, large pieces of metal), taking pictures of journalists arriving at the El Nacional to signal identification, shouting obscene and insolent phrases, and impeding the arrival and departure of the newspaper's employees, whose physical integrity and even lives were threatened by these acts.”

 

210.  In response to the foregoing, on 11 January 2002, the IACHR decided to request the following precautionary measures on behalf of the journalists, workers and managers of the newspaper El Nacional:

 

1)                   Provide such protection as may be requested by the representatives of the newspaper El Nacional, to safeguard the safety and personal integrity of the newspaper's journalists, workers, and managers.

 

2)                   Conduct an exhaustive investigation to identify, prosecute and punish those responsible for the acts designed to intimidate the newspaper El Nacional on 7 January 2002.

 

3)            Adopt such measures as may be necessary to protect the exercise of the freedom of expression, safeguarding the right of Venezuelan society as a whole to have access to information.

 

211.  On 10 July 2002, the IACHR extended the precautionary measures based on the information provided by the petitioners alleging further threats to kill the newspaper's journalists.

 

Andrés Mata Osorio, the El Universal newspaper

 

212.  According to the information received, Mr. Mata, editor and owner of the newspaper El Universal indicated that “at the two press conferences held last September [2001], mentioned earlier, the President of the Republic warned that: ‘No one is going to save you, Andrés Mata’; adding that ‘The newspaper El Universal owned by Andrés Mata, the oligarch, runs roughshod over the people.'  In addition, according to the information provided, on 17 December [2001], in a public act, the president said: ‘To El Universal, that is, to Andrés Mata Osorio, for having fomented a conspiracy, I say that 2002 will be the year for a great offensive … marked by a series of events that are going to occur.  On 13 January 2002, President Hugo Chávez Frías showed a photograph of Mr. Mata on television so that “his followers could recognize him as an oligarch and a suppressor of the people, etc.” Since this public identification, Mata says that he has received telephone death threats against him and his family.

 

213.  Based on this information, on 27 January 2002, the IACHR requested the following precautionary measures on behalf of Andrés Mata Osorio:

 

1)       Provide the protection requested by Andrés Mata Osorio, editor and owner of the newspaper El Universal, to safeguard his life and personal integrity and that of his family.

 

2)       Adopt such measures as may be necessary to protect the full and free exercise of the freedom of expression by Andrés Mata Osorio, editor and owner of the newspaper El Universal.

 

214.  On 25 June 2002, the IACHR requested information concerning the situation of journalist Alicia La Rotta Morán, within the context of the precautionary measures granted to Mr. Mata of the newspaper el Universal on 27 January 2002.  According to the information received, Miss Rotta Moran, a journalist for the newspaper El Universal, had been assaulted on 20 June 2002.

 

215.  On 23 July 2001, the IACHR granted a request for an extension of the precautionary measures inasmuch as the State had not fully complied with the original measures.  The extension is subject to the following terms:

 

1)       Provide the protection requested by Andrés Mata Osorio, editor and owner of the newspaper El Universal, to safeguard his life and personal integrity and that of his family, and provide the protective measures requested by the journalist Alicia de la Rotta Morán.

 

2)            Adopt such measures as may be necessary to protect the full and free exercise of the freedom of expression by Andrés Mata Osorio and the journalist Alicia de la Rotta Morán.

 

249.     This extension is based on information sent by the representative of Mata and la Rotta indicating that on 20 June 2002 the journalist La Rotta Moran had been the victim of physical aggression by a military intelligence officer of the Government of the Republic.  On 28 January 2003, the IACHR decided to grant a further extension of the precautionary measures taken on behalf of Mr. Mata and the journalist La Rotta based on information concerning further aggression against them.

 

Globovision and RCTV

 

250.          According to the information provided, on 20 January 2002 journalists Luisiana Ríos, of RCTV, and Mayela León, of GLOBOVISION, and their technical teams, arrived to cover the program of President Hugo Chávez “Aló Presidente” in the Observatorio Cajigal, situated on a hill in Parroquia 23 de enero, west of Caracas.  When the vehicles arrived, showing the logos of their respective channels, a group of approximately 50 persons surrounded them, rocking them from side to side, and striking and kicking the vehicles as they shouted: "we will lynch you if you get out." According to the information provided, members of the military escorted the vehicles out of the area.

 

251.          On 30 January 2002, in view of the above information, the IACHR requested the following precautionary measures on behalf of Luisiana Ríos, Luis Augusto Contreras Alvarado, Armando Amaya, Eduardo Sapene Granier of Radio Caracas Televisión and Mayela León Rodríguez, Jorge Manuel Paz Paz and María Fernanda Flores of Globovisión:

 

1)            That the necessary measures be taken to protect the lives and personal integrity of Luisiana Ríos, Luis Augusto Contreras Alvarado, Armando Amaya, Eduardo Sapene Granier of Radio Caracas Televisión and Mayela León Rodríguez, Jorge Manuel Paz Paz and María Fernanda Flores of Globovisión.

 

2)            Refrain from any action that could have an intimidating effect on journalists and other workers for Globovisión and Radio Caracas Televisión.

 

3)            Conduct an exhaustive investigation of the actions taken on 20 January 2002 against journalists Luisiana Ríos and Mayela León Rodríguez, of RCTV and Globovisión respectively and the technical teams accompanying them.

 

252.          On 29 July 2002 the IACHR approved the request for an extension, requesting that the State:

 

1)            Take such necessary measures to protect life and personal integrity as may be requested by the representatives of Globovisión and Radio Caracas Televisión in order to protect the lives and personal integrity of the workers for both channels and to safeguard the security of their property and installations.

 

2)            Refrain from any action that could have an intimidating effect on the exercise of their profession by journalists and other workers for Globovisión and Radio Caracas Televisión.

 

3)            Conduct an exhaustive investigation into all acts of intimidation and attacks against the journalists and other workers of RCTV and Globovisión or against their facilities or vehicles reported by the two channels.

 

253.          The extension was based on the fact that the situation giving rise to the original measures had persisted.  In addition, on 19 April 2002, the IACHR requested information on the situation of Globovisión reporter Orlando Rafael Urdaneta within the context of precautionary measures adopted by the Commission. 

 

Radio Caracas Televisión (Request for precautionary measures to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights)

 

254.          On 27 November 2002, the Inter-American Commission decided to file a request with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights for precautionary measures on behalf of Luisiana Ríos, Armando Amaya, Antonio José Monroy, Laura Castellano and Argenis Uribe. On the same day, 27 November 2002, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights granted the measures requested and resolved to:

 

1)       Request that the State take the necessary measures, without delay, to protect the life and personal integrity of Luisiana Ríos, Armando Amaya, Antonio José Monroy, Laura Castellano and Argenis Uribe, employees of Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV).

 

2)       Request that the State allow the petitioners to participate in the planning and implementation of the protective measures and in general keep them informed on progress in implementing the measures ordered by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

 

3)       Request that the State investigate the reported incidents that gave rise to these measures for the purpose of finding and punishing those responsible.

 

4)       Request that the State report to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on the measures taken in pursuance of this resolution, by no later than 12 December 2002.

 

5)       Request that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, within one week of the notification of the State's report, submit such observations as it may consider appropriate to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights.

 

6)            Request that the State, subsequent to its first communication (see paragraph 4 above), continue to report every two months to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights on the provisional measures taken and to request that the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights present its observations on these reports within six weeks of their receipt.

 

Venevision

 

255.          According to the information received, on 3 February 2002, reporters for Venevisión were asked to cover a tour by the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Mr. Hugo Chávez Frías, departing from San Carlos airport to the state of Aragua.  When they arrived at the airport, they found themselves among people “wearing logos of the political party V República, who verbally attacked the reporters for Venevisión.”  When they reached Aragua the camera technician Mauro Acosta Padrón indicated that he had received a blow on the back left side of the head.  They also indicated that on 7 February 2002, during their coverage of a public event, two buses moving at high speed charged into an area where journalists and camera technicians were gathered.

 

256.          The information provided indicates that Mauro Acosta Padrón was hit by one of these buses, seriously threatening his life and causing injury and trauma warranting his hospitalization in the La Viña Clinic in the city of Valencia. On 21 February 2002, at Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas, a group of persons allegedly broke the windows and a mobile unit belonging to the press department of Venevisión.

 

257.          Based on this information, the IACHR requested on 28 February 2002 that the state of Venezuela take precautionary measures to protect Laorwins José Rodríguez Henríquez, Mauro Acosta Padrón, Randolfo Blanco, Sol Vargas Arnaz, and other workers and/or journalists for the television station VENEVISION as follows:

 

1)       Provide the protection requested by the representatives of television station Venevisión, to safeguard the right to life and personal integrity of the station's journalists and workers.

 

2)       Conduct an exhaustive investigation of the events of 3, 7 and 21 February 2002, victimizing Venevisión employees Mauro Acosta Padrón, Randolfo Blanco and Laorwins José Rodríguez Henríquez.

 

3)       Take the necessary measures to protect the full exercise of the freedom of expression by media representatives, in accordance with article 13 of the Convention.

 

4)       That the illustrious Government of Venezuela, through its highest authority, categorically denounce the attacks being perpetrated on media workers.

 

258.          In addition, on 19 April 2002, the IACHR requested information from the State on measures taken to protect the Venevisión journalists, singling out in particular journalists Luis Alfonso Fernández and Julio Gregorio Rodríguez García, who had received threats following the coverage of the events of 11 April.

 

259.          During the Commission's on-site visit to Venezuela (6-10 May 2002) Dr. Pedro Nikken and Carlos Ayala, attorneys for the Venevisión journalists, hand delivered a request for precautionary measures on behalf of Venevisión journalists Julio Gregorio Rodríguez García, Mauricio Cabal Zamorano, Randolfo Blanco, Graciliano Esteban Leal Hernandez, Nelson Torres Flores, and Ray Carlos Avilez Luna.  On 22 May 2002, the IACHR transmitted to the state this additional request for precautionary measures on behalf of the aforementioned journalists.

 

260.          On 20 June 2002, the IACHR granted the request for an extension of the precautionary measures.  On 1 August 2002, in view of information received about a further attack on journalist Ray Carlos Avilez Luna, the IACHR sent a request for information to the State.  On 30 August 2002 the IACHR notified the State that the precautionary measures requested by Venevisión had been extended.

 

Ibéyise Pacheco, Patricia Poleo, Marta Colomina and Marianela Salazar

 

261.          Information received on 1 February, and 5 and 8 March 2002 indicated, inter alia, that "a report by journalist Ibéyise Pacheco, on 30 January 2002 [sic], together with journalists Marta Colomina, Patricia Poleo and Marianella Salazar, divulged a videotape showing conversations between the Venezuelan army and guerrilla forces in Colombia, revealing that a permanent and continuous relationship existed between them and that they had collaborated, for instance, in the supply of food by Venezuelan Armed Forces to members of the Colombian revolutionary forces (FARC).   Subsequently, Ibéyise Pacheco began to receive a series of telephone calls warning her not to publish news or opinions that "might affect the course of the Bolivarian revolution."  According to the information provided, in the first communication on 1 February 2002, after the telephone calls, "an explosive device" was placed at the door of the newspaper "Así es la Noticia" and "exploded,  destroying the main door to the newspaper building."

 

262.          The communications provided to this Commission on 5 and 8 March 2002 reveal that after the explosion, the journalist Pacheco received threats against her person over the telephone, in flyers, and publications that the journalist indicates she received prior to 7 March 2002.

 

263.          Based on the information described above, on 12 March 2002 the IACHR requested that precautionary measures be taken on behalf of Ibéyise Pacheco, Patricia Poleo, Marta Colomina and Marianela Salazar.  The IACHR requested that the Venezuelan state:

 

1)       Provide the protection requested by journalists Ibéyise Pacheco, Patricia Poleo, Marta Colomina and Marianela Salazar, to safeguard their right to life and personal integrity in accordance with articles 4 and 5 of the American Convention.

 

2)       Conduct an exhaustive investigation into the events of 31 January 2002, at the headquarters of the newspaper Así es la Noticia and the threats received by journalists Ibéyise Pacheco, Patricia Poleo, Marta Colomina and Marianela Salazar.

 

3)       Take the necessary measures to protect the full exercise of the freedom of expression by media representatives, in accordance with article 13 of the Convention.

 

4)       Refrain from any action that could have an intimidating effect on journalists Ibéyise Pacheco, Patricia Poleo, Marta Colomina and Marianella Salazar.

 

Dubraska Romero, Tal Cual newspaper

 

264.          Information received on 23 May 2002 indicated inter alia that journalist Dubraska Romero of the Venezuelan morning newspaper Tal Cual had been "covering the military front for four years [and that] fifteen days before the events of 11 April 2002 a National Guard official gave the journalist Romero a coup d'etat manual that was circulating in the regiment.  The newspaper Tal Cual published this document in March 2002."  According to the information provided, starting 7 May of this year the journalist Romero had been receiving telephone calls that she could identify as "from the National Guard."   It is of relevance that according to the information received, "during the morning of May 9, Dubraska Romero received a call from Coronel Alexis Maneiro, who in turn transferred her to General Belisario Landis, Comandante General of the National Guard, who asked about her situation and said "they had already identified the officers who had been bothering her and that they wouldn't be bothering her anymore." According to the information provided, after this call, the journalist Romero received another call telling her that "she was taking things very lightly, she seemed to think that everything was a lie and that they knew everything about her and her family."

 

265.          The IACHR requested the adoption of precautionary measures to protect the life of the journalist and her family as follows:

 

1)                   Provide the protection requested by journalist Dubraska Romero, to safeguard her right to life and personal integrity and that of her family, in accordance with articles 4 and 5 of the American Convention.

 

2)            Conduct an exhaustive investigation of the facts in the case.

 

3)            Refrain from any act that could have an intimidating effect on journalist Dubraska Romero and her family.

 

266.          On 1 October 2002 the IACHR sent new information about the journalist's situation to the State.  The information indicated that personal protection was being provided to the journalist by the municipal police of Chacao.  Despite this protection, Romero continued to receive death threats electronically and by telephone, and noticed that unidentified persons were following her in automobiles without license plates.

 

José Ángel Ocanto, news director for the newspaper El Impulso de Barquisimeto

 

267.          On 5 August 2002, journalist José Ángel Ocanto, news director for the newspaper El Impulso de Barquisimeto, reported that he had received telephone calls threatening him and his family and had been personally harassed as a result of his newspaper articles and opinion columns on the subject of the corruption in government.  He reported that on July 6, 2002 unknown persons sprayed his car with gasoline and set it on fire.  He reported that the police authorities refused to act in his defense.  The information received indicates that the Media Affairs Committee of the Regional Legislative Council and the Subcommittee on Media Affairs of the National Assembly were also unresponsive to his complaint, and that on the same night of the attack, individuals in a red van began circling his home.  He also reported that both the Governor of the state of Lara, and the Director of Public Security and Order told the public that the car had “caught fire by itself” or that the incident had been “provoked” with “obscure intentions.”  The telephone threats warned him that if he continued writing is articles, he would be murdered and his wife and daughters would be raped.  During one of the calls, specific information about him and his family was mentioned.  The petitioner also reported that he had been criminally prosecuted for slander after reporting on a denunciation in the Venezuelan Parliament.

 

268.          With respect to the burning of his car, the journalist reported that police authorities did not respond to his complaint or collect evidence.  In view of this response, the journalist reported the burning of his car and the telephone threats to the Superior Public Prosecutor’s Office in the Office of the Attorney General, the Police Criminological Science Unit, and the Media Affairs Committee of the Regional Legislative Council.

 

269.          On 5 November 2002, the IACHR requested the Venezuelan state to take the following precautionary measures on behalf of Mr. Ocanto, in view of the fact that it had not received responses to two requests for information on Mr. Ocanto's situation:

 

1.       That the appropriate authorities provide such protection as may be requested by Mr. José Ángel Ocanto and his family, to protect their lives and personal integrity, in accordance with articles 4 and 5 of the American Convention on Human Rights.

 

2.       That an exhaustive investigation be conducted into the acts of intimidation and threats received by the beneficiaries of this precautionary measure.

 

OTHER

 

270.          During the two visits made by the IACHR to Venezuela in 2002, the Office of the Special Rapporteur received information about the concerns of numerous sectors of society over the large number of the state national chains in the media.  The national chains require media outlets to cancel their regular programming to transmit information imposed by the government.  The Office of the Special Rapporteur was able to verify that the duration and frequency with which national chains were being used could be considered abusive in light of the information communicated by them, which might not always be serving the public interest. The IACHR issued a timely press release denouncing the abusive and unnecessary use of this mechanism, which if used on a discretionary basis for purposes not in the public interest could constitute a form of censorship.   Following the visits, the Office of the Special Rapporteur was pleased to receive information indicating a significant reduction in the use of this mechanism.

 

 

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