Voting on election day was generally free and fair with scattered reports of irregularities. On September 26, voters elected 165 deputies to the National Assembly. International observer missions deemed the elections generally free and fair but noted some irregularities. In 2006 voters reelected President Hugo Chavez Frias of the Fifth Republic Movement party. Venezuela is a multiparty constitutional democracy with a population of approximately 28 million. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.īureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. United States Department of State, 2010 Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - Venezuela, 8 April 2011, available at: The raid came days after new legislators were sworn-in on January 5, following elections in December, which consolidated Maduro’s power in the country, according to news reports.Īlso on January 8, SENIAT issued a temporary shutdown of Diario Panorama, a print outlet in Zulia state, according to Venezuelan freedom of expression organization Espacio Público, and the news website Tal Cual tweeted that it was facing a “digital attack” from an unidentified source.ĬPJ called CONATEL and SENIAT for comment, but no one answered.Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Perozo said that VPITV has continued to air international news from Miami since the raid, but has temporarily shut down its operations in Venezuela and its coverage of the country. Venezuela’s anti-hate law mandates prison terms for anyone who instigates hate or violence via TV, radio, print, or social media, according to CPJ research.įounded in 2015, VPITV is based in the United States and has correspondents in 20 of Venezuela’s 23 states, who contribute reporting that is aired on Facebook, YouTube, and other online platforms, according to Gabriela Perozo, chief information officer and part-owner of the station, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app. Trechi told CPJ that officials alleged that the gas shortage reporting had violated Venezuela’s Anti-Hate Law for Tolerance and Peaceful Coexistence, a criminal law, that the station was the subject of a CONATEL administrative sanction, and that the outlet had 15 days to respond, Trechi said. In a statement posted to Twitter, VPITV called the raid “the latest episode of harassment and censorship against the independent media in Venezuela by the regime of Nicolás Maduro.” “Authorities must immediately return all confiscated equipment to the outlet and allow VPITV to operate freely.” “The shutdown of online broadcaster VPITV is the latest attempt by Nicolás Maduro’s government to silence the few remaining independent voices in Venezuela,” said CPJ South and Central America Program Coordinator Natalie Southwick, in New York. Officials said the raid was prompted by three VPITV reports from September 2020 about nationwide gasoline shortages, but did not present any warrant or charge sheet, Trechi said. ![]() The seven-hour raid was carried out by officials from the government TV regulator, CONATEL, and the national tax agency, SENIAT, Trechi told CPJ. On January 8, authorities raided the Caracas offices of VPITV, an independent online broadcaster, where they confiscated cameras, computers, transmission equipment, and documents, and ordered the station to cease operations, according to news reports and VPITV president and co-owner Leonardo Trechi, who spoke to CPJ via messaging app from Miami, where the outlet is headquartered. Bogotá, Janu– Venezuelan authorities should return all equipment confiscated from VPITV and allow it to work freely, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
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