International Organizations condemn attack on freedom of expression in Venezuela
WOLA, Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, ICJ and Conectas call for an end to the attacks against journalists and human rights defenders following a campaign by the Maduro government against media outlets like Efecto Cocuyo
The organizations WOLA (Washington Office on Latin America), Human Rights Watch, Amnesty International, ICJ (International Commission of Jurists) and Conectas released a joint statement on Thursday, January 14, condemning the attacks on freedom of expression in Venezuela.
The joint statement was issued after the independent media organization Efecto Cocuyo, the community radio channel Fe y Alegría, the National Press Workers Union, the news channel VPI TV and the newspaper Panorama, among other outlets, have become targets of campaigns and attacks by the government of Nicolás Maduro.
Since the beginning of 2021, independent media organizations such as Efecto Cocuyo and El Pitazo have been accused, first by pro-government media and later by Venezuelan authorities, including Maduro himself, of advancing “foreign interference” and of receiving international benefits.
Meanwhile, the digital news channel VPI TV has been subjected to an arduous audit and the seizure of equipment from its offices in Caracas, causing the “temporary” closure of its operations. On January 8, the newspaper Panorama announced on its social media that it had been closed for five days by SENIAT (National Integrated Service for the Administration of Customs Duties and Taxes), on the grounds of “Violation of formal tax law duties”.
According to the Venezuelan human rights organization Provea, in the first eight months of the state of emergency declared in response to the pandemic, 66 journalists and media staff were detained in the country.
“The signatory organizations condemn these incidents and firmly demand that authorities under the command of Nicolás Maduro put an end to the harassment and attacks against media outlets, journalists and human rights defenders. We also request that the authorities guarantee respect for the informative work of these groups and their freedom of expression, as well as their contributions to exposing human rights abuses and violations committed in Venezuela,” reads the document.
According to the organizations, the recent campaigns of stigmatization, harassment and repression against the media in Venezuela constitute a clear attack against the freedoms of expression and information, and they undermine the important contribution made by these organizations to exposing human rights violations committed by the Venezuelan authorities.
