9 March 2004
JOURNALISTS ATTACKED AS CIVIL UNREST WORSENS
A growing number of journalists in various media have been wounded, assaulted, or threatened during the current clashes between the government forces of President Hugo Chávez and the opposition, report the Institute for Press and Society (Instituto Prensa y Sociedad, IPYS), the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), Reporters without Borders (Reporters sans frontières, RSF), and the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ).
Many journalists have been attacked or injured, noted RSF). The government ordered a crackdown on demonstrations organized by the opposition in both Caracas and the provinces. The demonstrators demand a referendum on the resignation of the President. As of 9 March 2004, the Venezuelan journalists' association "Los del Medio" estimates that at least 25 journalists or media outlets have been attacked.
Many news organisations in Venezuela are privately owned, and some of these have been outspoken in their opposition to the Chávez government. However, even "if the media takes sides against President Chávez, on occasion outrageously," said RSF, "this can still never justify the use of force against their reporters."
CPJ asserted that rubber bullets, tear gas grenades, and rocks have been used as weapons in the struggle. RSF cited the case, among others, of Juan Carlos Aguirre, reporter for CMT television, who was beaten with rifle butts by elements of the National Guard on 2 March 2004 when they saw that he and his cameraman were filming police suppressing a demonstration.
IPYS reported that on 20 February 2004, legal representatives of three private television stations, Globovisíon, Venevisíon, and Televen, demanded that the Attorney General's office take measures to safeguard their personnel and property. IPYS noted that on 14 February 2004, the President threatened to take over the antennas of Globovisíon and Venevisíon if the opposition were to take actions similar to those of 11 April 2002, when a coup temporarily removed Chávez from power.
IFJ has demanded that the government and opposition groups alike lower the level of confrontation in the country, to avoid possible tragic events. "Journalists carrying out their professional duties must not be targeted," said IFJ. "At the same time, journalists must avoid unnecessary risks. No story is worth dying for."
Visit these links for more information:
-CPJ: http://www.cpj.org
-IFJ: http://www.ifj.org
-IPYS: http://www.ipys.org
-RSF: http://www.rsf.org
Image: (c) Human Rights Watch
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