Posted on 02/06/2007 2:08:51 PM PST by StJacques
The rule of law is disappearing in Venezuela
Marcel Granier, President of Radio Caracas Television (Inter-American Press Agency)
The reaction of President Chavez is verbally violent and crude each time someone dares to have a different opinion.
____________________________________________________
President Chavez verbally announced his decision to close Radio Caracas Television, a channel which for more than 53 years and with the best facilities draws the greater audience, moreover of being the television broadcaster that employs the most people in Venezuela. Thus culminates a long chain of aggressions against journalists, employees, managers, and shareholders of the independent media. He is trying to limit the right to entertainment which Venezuelans like and to information they trust, impeding citizens who formulate proposals, denunciations, and demands, eliminating the pluralism of information and opinion programs, making the free flow of thought and information impossible in order to obtain a system which the government itself defines as the "communicational and informative hegemony of the state."
The 14th of July, 2006, President Chavez, dressed in a military uniform, gave a speech on the delivery of Kalashnivkov AK-103 assault rifles. Taking a rifle and pointing at a television cameraman he warned: "With this rifle, which has a range of a thousand meters, you (the cameraman) stop yourself there above and I, with good aim, give it to the little red light that your camera has." Later he announced: "It is necessary to review the television broadcaster licenses."
Other government functionaries would repeat the threats, while they praised the media that had changed its editorial line: "There are qualitative changes in the programming ... there are other cases in which that change is not observed, that rectification," remembering that the government "has the ability not to renew a license."
The 3rd of November, 2006, the President repeated his threat: "I only remember those ... who next year ... it's hardly surprising what I'm saying ... there will not be more licensing of some television channels ..."
The 28th of December, the President, again in military dress, announced that RCTV's license would not be renewed. "The measure is already drawn up, so they're going to turn off the equipment ... the license expires in March." Two weeks later, in the National Assembly, he affirmed that the RCTV license ends in May, 2007. The same contradiction over the date exists in declarations of other government functionaries.
President Chavez later began a defamation campaign against RCTV and its directors, through notices paid for with public funds.
The 13th of January, in his annual message to the National Assembly, he changed his speech anew and affirmed: "That broadcast signal belongs to the Venezuelans and it will be nationalized for the Venezuelans ... RCTV has a few days left ... they're squealing, they're stamping their feet; whatever they're doing; the license has ended."
At RCTV we had not been officially informed of anything upon which they based themselves nor of what they accused us of doing. They thus violated the presumption of innocence, there was no due process nor did the right to defense exist.
Such actions transgress norms expressed in the Constitution of Venezuela, the American Convention on Human Rights and the Interamerican Democratic Charter. They are political pressures against independent communications media, a clear example of abuse of power and a pretended legal justification never proved. Thus violated are the right to work in this media, the principle of political pluralism and, of course; the freedom of thought, expression, and information of the millions of citizens who will lose the freedom to look for and to receive information and ideas of every nature guaranteed by the American Convention on Human Rights.
A convincing proof of all this was the statement of January 8 of Andres Izarra, President of Telesur and ex Minister of Communication: "It is necessary to elaborate a new plan ... towards the communicational and informative hegemony of the state."
A growing number of union and human rights organizations are warning about the RCTV case: Human Rights Watch, Committee to Protect Journalists, Instituto Prensa y Sociedad, International Association of Radio Broadcasters, International Press Institute, Reporters without Borders, Interamerican Press Society, and others. But the reaction of President Chavez is verbally violent and crude each time someone dares to have a different opinion. He says and repeats that the decision was taken: "RCTV has a few days left ... they're squealing, they're stamping their feet; whatever they're doing, it's over ..."
"Has Cindy Sheehan been down there lately?"
It's been about a year. As I'm sure will suprise nobody here, the peacehag really likes the murderous thug and dictator: http://www.cindysheehanwatch.com/chavez.html
The exact same fecal deposits who enabled Stalin, Castro, Mugabe and every other thug of the last 75 years.
Sounds like Saddam to me. Hopefully he will meet the same fate at the end of a rope.
I'm quite sure that ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, etc have a good reason why they havent shown us that. /sarcasm
Where's a smart bomb when you need one?
He could get a gig at Err America.
Hmmmmmmm....is there any way we can get the western media to pay attention to this....??
Hey, I know! Send Cindy, Harry, Jimmuh and other assorted leftists down for a hug-fest photo op!
Thanks...
Pelosi and Kennedy would never allow such a provocative act against a peace-loving, socialist dict...er...democracy!
"Has Cindy Sheehan been down there lately?"
Oh yea...she's been down there...
Why would anyone buy gas from Citgo? Why?? I have not bought gas from any Citgo station in nearly a year. I know it is not the station owners fault, but they need to find another business. Citgo needs to be put out of business in this nation. I don't care if the rest of the world buys this dictators gas, we should not. And people that work at Citgo stations should try to find a job elsewhere. It doesn't matter whether it makes a dent in their overall business or not, that isn't the issue.
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.