Posted on 02/14/2003 3:46:35 AM PST by Cincinatus' Wife
Imagine a television station losing its broadcasting license for showing a protester calling for the president's resignation. That's what Venezuelan independent media are up against today. Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez apparently thinks he has ''won'' the war against an opposition strike and is bent on wreaking revenge on those he deems enemies.
Now his attacks on media aim to dismember one of the few forces left to counterbalance his overwhelming control of judicial, legislative and military powers. With no free press or free expression, Venezuelans risk Mr. Chávez converting the government into a ''Bolivarian'' tyranny -- the people who elected him will be powerless to stop his dismantling of democracy.
''Nobody in the world should be surprised if in Venezuela, within a short period of time, we start shutting down television stations,'' Mr. Chávez crowed at the World Social Forum in January. ``No freedom is unlimited.''
True to his threats, Mr. Chávez ordered investigations of five private television stations -- Globovisión, Radio Caracas Television, Televén, Venevisión and Televisora Regional del Táchira. He accuses them of violating bans on broadcasting ''propaganda aimed at subverting public order'' and of airing statements that ''disrespect the legitimate institutions and authorities,'' among other sins.
Televising calls by opposition members and military officers for Mr. Chávez's resignation, for example, could result in broadcasting licenses being suspended or revoked. Not only do such sanctions subvert free expression and the exchange of ideas that are vital to democracy. They also contravene the American Convention on Human Rights, which Venezuela has signed, as noted by the Organization of American States' Rapporteur on Free Expression Eduardo Bertoni.
The intimidation doesn't end there. The government fined all-news channel Globovisión $34,500 for allegedly being late in paying taxes -- charges the network calls ''political retribution.'' Attacks on journalists, moreover, have become routine. According to the Institute for Press and Society, at least 20 journalists have been personally assaulted or had equipment damaged since December.
And just yesterday, a proposed Law of Social Responsibility in Radio and Television was approved on first reading by the Chávez-controlled National Assembly. One more vote could enact measures that would give the government control of all broadcast content, even requiring journalists to reveal sources. Inter American Press Association President Andrés García condemned this law as ``the most blatant censure, which . . . remands [Venezuela] to the long-gone Dark Ages of Latin America.''
If successful, Mr. Chávez could turn Venezuela's media into a state-run monopoly -- like Cuba's. Unless the OAS or others in the international community convince Mr. Chávez otherwise, democracy is doomed, and Venezuela is on the road to totalitarianism.
Imagine, we are only a month and a half into 2003, and there have already been 31 mandatory national broadcasts of Chávez's speeches, or those of his top ministers, according to a count listed at the Globovisión website ( www.globovision.com).
On Jan. 17, Chávez spoke for two hours and 37 minutes on national television. On Jan. 23, he spoke for three hours. Almost daily, regular news programs are interrupted to broadcast a speech by the Venezuelan president, in what would be branded a clear abuse of power in any other country.
My conclusion: Barring strong international pressures by Washington and Brazil, the two key outside players in the Venezuelan drama, Chávez may take advantage of the world focus on Iraq and crack down on the media. Then, he will have completed the transition to a rare political model -- an elected dictatorship -- that would set a terrible precedent for the rest of Latin America.***
Whew! A good thing that will never happen here (It doesn't have to; since the mainstream media loves big government, the media only prints pro-government liberal propaganda anyway)
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