Censorship in Venezuela: the public space counted 28 attacks on freedom of expression in February

In Venezuela there was 28 freedom of expression violations in February6 less than in January, according to the report of cases made public on Tuesday by the NGO Public space.

“During the second month of the year, we documented 16 cases that resulted in 28 violations of freedom of expression”, indicates the bulletin of the organization, which denounces the predominance of “threats, censorship, verbal harassment and intimidation”.

“The model of harassment and bullying to the critical discourse of journalists, media, leaders, workers and citizens in general, mainly perpetrated by state agents or people affiliated with the government,” the letter states.

Similarly, Public Space explained that 56% of abuse took place on the internet“one of the few spaces still available to the population to express themselves and freely give their opinion”.

Besides, 14 journalists and 2 media “have been victims of violations of their right to information”while the general public was directly affected in 5 other cases.

The State, adds the NGO, was the author of 19 of the 28 violations identified.

Among the cases included in the bulletin is one on February 28, when a mayor of the Amazon state of Bolívar “threatto six journalists “for having covered and broadcast complaints from relatives of deceased patients” in a public hospital and who “demand the opening of an investigation”.

In another order, this week the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) asked the Venezuelan regime that it does not ratify a law that will regulate the functioning of non-governmental organizations and, on the contrary, to adopt measures to “rebuild democracy”.

“In Venezuela there is a hostile environment against human rights organizations, in which smear campaigns prevailstigmatization and acts of harassment as a result of their advocacy activities,” say the IACHR and the Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression (RELE).

For this reason “they urge Venezuela to refrain from approving any type of legislation or regulation that arbitrarily limits the right of association, freedom of expression and participation in matters of public interest” and ask it to take “measures aimed at rebuilding democracy and the rule of law”.

On January 24, the Chavismo-dominated Venezuelan Parliament approved, in its first debate, a law that will regulate the operation of NGOs. The second ballot is pending and undated.

(With information from EFE)

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