VENEZUELA Closure of Radio Caracas Televisión paves way for media hegemony

june 2007 Report by : Andrés Cañizalez, Robert Ménard and Benoît Hervieu Reporters Without Borders - Despacho Américas 47 rue Vivienne - 75009 París (France) Tel : 33 1 44 83 84 68 – Fax : 33 1 45 23 11 51 [email protected] - Read more www.rsf.org The most popular and one of the oldest of refusing a TV station the right to broadcast for Venezuela’s news media, Radio Caracas the next 20 years? Finally and above all, why did Televisión (RCTV), stopped broadcasting at President Chávez go ahead with a measure that was midnight on 27 May, 53 years after it first went so unpopular, even among his own supporters? on the air. There were tears and anger at its Opinion polls says 70 per cent of Venezuelans dis- Caracas headquarters. The last news pro- approve of RCTV’s closure - this in a population in gramme was followed by farewell hymns and which four out of five get their news from television prayers. Outside, the Venezuelan capital shook alone. to the rhythm of demonstrations by the many opponents and fewer supporters of what the Reporters Without Borders went on a fact-finding former called a “closure” and the latter called trip to Venezuela from 24 to 28 May, meeting with “the end of a frequency concession.” national and foreign journalists, media owners, media specialists, human rights activists and RCTV is no more. It had to surrender its broadcast political analysts. It was at RCTV on the day it channel to a new public TV station, Televisora stopped broadcasting. Its requests for meetings Venezolana Social (Tves), on with government officials and representatives of the orders of President public and pro-government media went unan- Hugo Chávez. RCTV, swered. Their silence was as eloquent as the whose mascot is the lion, comments of the people it did meet, and tends was accused of supporting to confirm that RCTV’s closure was not just an a coup five years ago, one administrative measure. On the contrary, it was Televisora that briefly ousted the a political move, one that establishes government Venezolana social president from 11 to 13 April hegemony over the broadcast media and consti- 2002. Without waiting for tutes a grave danger for editorial pluralism. It also RCTV to exhaust all of its appeal possibilities, revealed a new aspect of this political system Chávez signed the decree creating the new known as “Chavism” - one that could be called state-owned station on 11 May. At RCTV, media hegemony. employees and management had been hoping until the end for an 11th hour reprieve. But the game was lost and a new media landscape is Presidential addresses emerging in which Globovisión, with a signal that reaches only Caracas and four nearby Imagine yourself with a TV remote control, zapping cities, is the only opposition TV station that sur- between five or six TV stations all showing exactly vives - and it might not survive for much longer. the same images of the president giving a speech. This bizarre situation is the almost daily lot of President Chávez likes to deliver long radio and Venezuelans. The president’s speeches rarely go TV addresses which all the on for less than three hours and some go for seven broadcast media, including if he is feeling inspired. Far from limiting himself to the privately-owned ones, cutting ribbons at openings, making the occasion- simultaneously transmit in al formal address to the nation or praising the “cadena” whether they want recipients of awards, Chávez delivers disserta- to or not. He also has his own tions. Whenever the fancy takes him, he talks at Sunday programme called Hugo Chávez length about contemporary geopolitics, about the “Aló Presidente” on the lead- works of independence hero Simón Bolívar, about ing public TV channel. So he already has an his own works (what he has written and what he Radio Caracas Televisión impressive media apparatus at his disposal for intends to write), about the Russian revolution and getting his message across. about what his own grandmother used to tell him. or media hegemony

Why did he need to take RCTV’s broadcast fre- e of Wouldn’t one TV station be enough for such a quency and give it to another of his own sta- verbose speaker? No at all. President Chávez tions? Why was RCTV’s management not prefers speeches in full to extracts, and he charged and prosecuted at any point in the past

es way f imposes them on all the TV and radio stations,

osur five years for its “involvement” in the coup, enezuela including the privately-owned ones, as he is especially as under the law this is a condition for

V Cl pav entitled to do under article 10 of the Radio and

1 Venezuela Closure of Radio Caracas Televisión paves way for media hegemony accomplice tothecoup,stationcalled concession forthatTVstationwasan the end:“There willnolongerbeany[frequency] in whichheunexpectedlycommentedtowards armed forces attheCaracasMilitaryAcademy large margin, Chávezgaveaspeechtothe were beingstudiesforreplacing expired on27May2007, and thatthree options renewed for20yearsbya1987decree and Caracas Televisión that mation ministerWilliamLarasaidon2January dent wasnotjoking.Communicationandinfor- Sundays bythestate-owned al programme “AlóPresidente,” broadcast on there havealsobeen1,000hoursofhisperson- total of922hoursairtime.Inthesameperiod, “cadenas” inallsince1999,witha Chávez 1,542 for andbycommunication.There havebeen the keyleversofaregime thatlargely governs (obligatory simultaneousbroadcasts) isoneof November 2004.Thesystemof“cadenas” Television SocialResponsibilityLawof Headed byMarcel Granierandwithamarkedly 11 April2002…then TVsilence RCTV ahead ofanyitspublicorcommercial rivals, Despite its42percentaverageviewerrating,far against hisdetractors. to use“coup-mongering”asacharge tobring February of whichhemarkedwithamilitaryparadeon4 also triedtostageacoup-the15thanniversary cally electedin1998,Lt.Col.HugoChávezhad incredulity. Sixyearsbefore hewasdemocrati- this. 2003 and2004.Letusgobacklookatallof 2002 coupandthepetroleum industrystrikesin above all,ofplayingaleadingr accused ofbroadcastingand, pornography gr and politicalcharges aswelladministrative restrial broadcast Channel2.There were moral “Aló Presidente” ound fornotr RCTV and itsviewerssoonrealised thepresi- . Sohedidnot ’s broadcasting licencehadbeen enewing itslicence– the public’s attention. on 28December2006,caught recent “cadenas”inparticular, Televisión (VTV) tion aspresident byavery Three weeksafterhisreelec- .” Thethreat atfirstmetwith seem tobeanposition Venezolana de ole intheApril RCTV . Onethe RCTV as ter- Radio was Miraflor speech Chávezgavebefore leavingthe state-owned (IACHR). Thecommercial TVstationsandthe Inter-American Commissionon HumanRights Carlos Ayala, alawyerandformerpresident ofthe ment omnipotency,” said of whatwascalled“govern- RCTV Globovisión RCTV suspended for24hoursin1989broadcasting 11 April2002gave Like theotheroppositionmedia,eventsof Chávez” insteadof“President HugoChávez.” measures andtoalwaysrefer to“Lt.Col.Hugo corruption andthecostofcertaingovernment continued untiltheendtocriticiseviolentcrime, of Commer know Pedro Carmona,the Venezuelan Chamber media owners,mostofthedemonstratorsdidnot gave itthedimensionsofacoup.Unlike owned media,especiallythebigTVstations, and specialistincommunication.“Theprivately- mer CentralUniversityofVenezuela professor policy,”government saidAntonioPasquali, afor- April 2002wasinitiallyademonstration against the charge “11 againsttheChávezgovernment. screens intwo, The 11Aprilclashesleft17dead.Splittingtheir Hugo Chávez.” ure wasabovealltargeted at had beennolimit.Themeas- od of20years.Untilthen.there broadcast frequencies were concededforaperi- hours in1976,1980and1981,longbefore was suspendedforperiodsrangingfrom 24to72 al problem withpreviousaswell.It governments right-wing editorialline, mogul GustavoCisneros), by someoftheprivately-ownednewsmediabut Marcel Granier , which was being critical which , maintained itssameeditoriallineand es pr ce pr Venezolana deTelevisión simultaneously broadcast the esidential palaceand the Venevisión esident whobrieflyr government decreedgovernment that Lusinchi waspresident, the social-democrat Jaime erotic” ad.In1987,when instance, an“enticingand content or, inthelast because of“sensationalist” Chávez cametopower, RCTV Chávez’ a cigarette ad. dent washailedforawhile RCTV the chancetosound Televen s electionaspr (owned bymedia had theoccasion- , RCTV were all eplaced and esi 2 - exchanges of gunfire taking place during the renewal of the lion’s licence stems from this. demonstration. “There was complete confu- sion,” said an independent journalist. “You did “If you accept that RCTV was guilty of a coup, a not know who was firing on whom, but what you legal problem immediately ensues,” said Ayala, could see on the screens reinforced the idea the lawyer. “Under the 1987 decree that has that the government had given orders for shots been invoked by the current government, a to be fired at the crowd.” Globovisión director broadcaster may request the renewal of its con- Alberto Federico Ravell said: “The only reliable cession if it has not been found guilty of any source at that moment would have been the ‘serious misconduct.’ In the absence of any defence ministry, but we had no access to it. No judicial proceedings against it, RCTV therefore one knew until the end of the day whether or not had a right to request and presumably obtain Hugo Chávez had left the country.” Ravell the renewal of its broadcast concession. denied inciting the coup: “I willingly admit that I Furthermore, the telecommunications law of was not unhappy to see Hugo Chávez go, but 2000 stated that, from the moment it took there is a big difference between that and say- effect, the government had two years to update ing I organised a coup.” the frequency registers and renew the frequen- cies for another 20 years.” Carlos Correa, the head of the watchdog Espacio Público, said: “You have to know that On the basis of these laws, RCTV maintained on the evening of 11 April, Pedro Carmona, the that its licence expired in June 2022, not May short-lived interim president, was invited on to 2007 and it filed some 20 appeals with the the Venevisión set until two o’clock in the morn- National Telecommunications Commission ing. If you accuse RCTV of coup-mongering, (Conatel) and the supreme court. Although it is you have to accuse all the other privately- normally supposed to issue a ruling within four owned TV stations as well.” Carmona days, the supreme court took five months announced on 13 April that he wanted to dis- before it finally rejected RCTV’s appeals as solve parliament and rescind the mandates of “inadmissible.” But the court only took 24 hours governors and mayors. The coup appeared to to order that RCTV equipment (including 58 be a fait accompli, but the public got angry and transmitters throughout the country) be made the military ousted Carmona. Chávez then available at no cost to the new station Tves, at resumed control as president but all the private- the risk of jeopardising RCTV’s cable transmis- ly-owned TV stations except Globovisión con- sion. cealed this by broadcasting entertainment pro- grammes and soap operas. Chávez has not for- “Legally both RCTV and the government were gotten this silence. right,” said Silvia Alegrett, the publisher of a local newspaper and co-director of Expresión Libre, a journalists’ collective created a month after the Tiger submits, lion rebels coup. “The licence did end on 27 May but RCTV could under the law request its renewal. Venevisión “If Chávez had been really Bolivarian, he would , whose licence expired on the same have had all the privately-owned TV stations date, succeeded [on 23 May, the same day that closed down after the coup or he could at the the supreme court’s constitutional division RCTV very least have brought criminal prosecutions rejected ’s appeal] in being able to contin- against each of their managements,” said ue to broadcast for another five years.” What is the reason for this different treatment? Radio Caracas Televisión Pasquali, who regards Cisneros, the owner of Venevisión (whose mascot is a tiger) as “one of the mas- “It is very simple,” said Hugo Díaz Milano of or media hegemony Venevisión terminds of the events in Expresión Libre. “ negotiated its survival

e of 2002.” None of the TV sta- after the coup. The president succeeding it getting tions accused of supporting it to withdraw its political analysis programmes or participating in the 2002 and to fall in line with the government’s informa- Gustavo Cisneros tion. Televen, the other national commercial TV es way f coup has even been the tar- osur enezuela get of any prosecution, summons or judicial station, did the same.” Pasquali added: “Gustavo Cisneros is a powerful man and close friend of

V Cl pav report. The legal controversy about the non-

3 George Bush Sr., but that did not prevent him from pretext? reaching a deal with Hugo Chávez. He has been able to continue to run his businesses in exchange Six days before the supreme court’s constitu- for his media support.” tional division approved RCTV’s closure, the court’s political-administrative division issued a Ayala pointed out: “This is a violation of the article similar ruling. Granier immediately realised that 13 of the American Convention on Human Rights. the fate of RCTV and its 3,000 employees was Forcing a news media to change its editorial line sealed, although its previous appeals had been is a free speech violation.” But business is busi- received favourably by the Inter-American ness. Several sources said the government buried Commission on Human Rights and the Inter- the hatchet with the two stations, Venevisión and American Court of Human Rights. President Televen, shortly before the 2004 recall referendum Chávez does not care about international law on Chávez’s continuing in office, which he won and has already let it be known that, if need be, with 70 per cent of the vote. he would withdraw from the Organisation of American States. The supreme court’s ruling on Túlio Hernández, a sociologist and El Nacional the day of the closure was the coup de grâce. columnist who for a while supported the gov- ernment, is not fooled by the reasons given for “OAS jurisprudence takes precedence over silencing the RCTV. “It was a unilateral decision, national law and as an OAS member state, taken without any consultation or any serious Venezuela has to comply,” Granier explained to thought about television as a public service,” he Reporters Without Borders in his office on the said. “It is true that RCTV had the lion’s share of fateful day. “We obtained favourable rulings on the advertising market, in a country where a lot the approximately 100 physical attacks against of money is spent media advertising. And you our journalists, but the government ignored the can question, as I do, Marcel Granier’s concept decisions of both the commission and court. of news and information. But as a remedy, clos- The IACHR also ordered protective measures ing RCTV is worse than the disease. The coup for RCTV employees and equipment, but again, was just a pretext, and the ‘pornography’ nothing. At the time of our closing down, the charge does not stand up.” judge who was supposed to implement the international decisions has been fired by the As evidence, Hernández points to “La Hojilla” supreme court.” Now it is over. And now (The Razor Blade), one of the leading pro- Venezuela has only one privately-owned oppo- grammes on the state-owned Venezolana de sition TV station – Globovisión. But for how Televisión. “It has a very simple premise – to much longer? demolish everything the competition does,” he said. “It is a collection of insults, calumnies, “Created 12 years ago, the station has 400 smutty comments and vulgarities.” A screening employees,” said Ravell, Globovisión’s director. confirms that “La Hojilla” hardly conforms to the “According to the government, our licence expires accepted requirements of public service broad- in 2015. Nonetheless, we are the target of about 50 casting. If RCTV broadcasts a cartoon in which judicial and administrative pro- a white youth mistreats a cedures with charges ranging black youth, “La Hojilla” from ‘insults’ to ‘unpaid taxes.’ says it proves that RCTV The recent nationalisation of “incites young people to the main telephone and racism.” If RCTV screens Radio Caracas Televisión Internet operator, CANTV, has Stanley Kubrick’s Full Metal Jacket, it is guilty of deprived us and all of the pri- “exalting the American army and the atrocities Alberto Federico

or media hegemony vately-owned opposition committed by the Empire.” And “La Hojilla” con- Ravell press of a major advertiser.”

e of cludes: “This is the transculturalism that RCTV Like RCTV, Globovisión has appealed to OAS bod- has been vomiting on the air for 53 years.” ies about 70 cases of violence against its journal- ists since 2001. “No investigation has ever been

es way f carried out and no one has ever been convicted, osur enezuela Opposition media - a useful although the people involved were identified,”

V Cl pav Ravell added. “Whenever the president makes an

4 aggressive speech about us in a ‘cadena,’ we are plans immediately the target of violence.” RCTV Globovisión Two days before ’s closure, ’s What exactly was Hugo Chávez trying to headquarters were vandalised by a group of achieve by pressing ahead with RCTV’s closure pro-government activists. Footage of the attack although it was widely condemned by the was broadcast by all the TV stations and those Venezuelan public and the international com- responsible made no attempt to hide. On 29 munity? Why did a president who is so con- RCTV May, two days after ’s closure, cerned about his image as the Third World’s Globovisión was accused by Hugo Chávez of new leader allow himself to be criticised by a “calling for his murder” although yet again there European Parliamentary resolution on 24 May, was no sign of any formal judicial complaint. by virtually all human rights and press freedom Nonetheless, Ravell and the Leopoldo Castillo, groups, by the governments and parliaments of the host of the discussion programme “Aló many Latin American countries including Brazil, Ciudadano,” now face the possible of criminal Mexico and Chile, and even by his Bolivian prosecution. Before this new development, counterpart and ally Evo Morales, who said he Ravell said: “The government has the means to was “determined not to so the same.” silence us. But it could also decide to use us as pretext A guerrilla leader in the 1960s and now editor of for saying that an opposition the daily newspaper Tal Cual, Teodoro Petkoff press, and therefore press has tried to rally a divided opposition with no freedom, still exist in parliamentary representation and, during last Venezuela.” The concern is year’s presidential election, acted as campaign Leopoldo Castillo shared by the owners of the manager for Chávez’s main El Nacional leading opposition dailies (with print rival, the social democratic El Universal run of 100,000 copies) (130,000) governor of the western oil Tal Cual and (25,000). state of Zulia, Manuel Rosales. As such, Petkoff is RCTV “ ’s closure has made us fear the possible one of the few public figures closure of other opposition media, one after Chávez dares not attack in Teodoro Petkoff another, even if the print media are less influen- public. In Petkoff’s view, El Universal tial than the broadcast media,” said RCTV’s closure can only be understood as part editor Elides Rojas. “As soon as we utter the of the overall political and media context. “It is least criticism, we become the enemy. For more sophisticated that a example, an editorial about the judiciary in June mere act of censorship,” he 2005 led to our being accused of ‘insulting a said. “This is not Cuba or professional body and harming the reputation of the former Soviet Union, a public institution’ under the new criminal code and it is not a dictatorship. which had been promulgated two months But it is a personal and before. The case was finally closed the following almost total takeover of the Manuel Rosales August by the supreme court but the govern- public arena.” ment’s constant recourse to threats forces us to censor ourselves.” Miguel Henrique Otero, the Like Hernández, the sociologist, Petkoff points El Nacional chairman of ’s board and son of its to the president’s plans for the future. “Chávez founder, said: “The ‘cadenas’ and the pro- wants the constitution amended in 2008 so that gramme ‘La Hojilla’ are used to identify this or Radio Caracas Televisión he can be reelected indefinitely,” Petkoff said. that journalist for condemna- “The constitutional reform would include an tion. It is an excellent institutional overhaul that would weaken the or media hegemony method of harassment, even state’s federal structure and the status of the

e of if I don’t think the print media governors as counter-weights [two of the cur- has been completely weak- rent ones are Chávez opponents]. Also under ened, because it is not the discussion is a so-called enabling law that leading target.” Miguel Henrique es way f Otero would endorse government by decree, which osur enezuela already exists in practice. A state takeover of

V Cl pav Media hegemony and political sports, involving a merger of the Venezuelan

5 Olympic Committee and the ministry of sports, reported in certain diplomatic circles). “A decree is in the works. And the culture ministry’s role in January confirmed a situation that had exist- would be refocused on mass education.” ed since 2002,” said one of the APEX’s foreign representatives. “Information is now entirely According to Petkoff, there are also plans for the centralised within the communication and infor- creation of a United Socialist Party of Venezuela mation ministry (MINCI). The press offices of the (PSUV) - although this is for the time being other ministries are no longer of any use. opposed by the centre-left Podemos, the left- Officials are no longer allowed or no longer dare wing Patria para Todos and the Communist to say anything, except to the official press Party – as well as a reduction in university which just asks easy questions.” The autonomy and “complete govern- Venezuelan correspondent of a foreign newspa- ment control over the armed per concurred: “As the 28 ministers are totally forces, with the president becom- subservient to the president, we have to content ing their military commander in ourselves with anonymous sources within the chief as well as their constitutional ministries. Some officials told me they dis- head.” agreed with RCTV’s closure but begged me not to quote them by name for fear of seeming like Various journalists and analysts said there was ‘coup supporters’.” little agreement on these grand plans, even in the corridors of power. “Indefinite reelection is Bereft of many of its advertisers, the regional not popular,” Petkoff said. “Nor is the enabling press has to cope with competition from new law. Nearly 200 recall referendums have been local newspapers with direct state funding. No convened by the people against governors or fewer that 63 newspapers have seen the light of mayors, including Chavist ones. The unions and day since January, all reporting the official news. NGOs are reacting particularly badly to the state’s takeover attempts. But where is the political opposition?” No more NGOs?

Gregorio Salazar, the secretary-general of the Forum for Life, a coalition of 20 NGOs founded National Union of Press Workers (SNTP), which in 1997, has reason to worry. A draft law on inter- represents 20,000 journalists, including 16,000 national cooperation that passed on its first who are affiliated to the National College of reading in June 2006 aims to limit “foreign influ- Journalists, endorsed this view. “Hugo Chávez’s ence” over NGOs by restricting their funding. presidential project cannot accommodate the “Similar initiatives were tried in Colombia and presence of social intermediaries such as the Peru,”said Humberto Prado, the coordinator of media, professional or humanitarian organisa- an NGO that monitors Venezuela’s prisons. “In tions or even unions likely to criticise him,” this case, the aim is also to restrict the NGOs’ RCTV Salazar said. “ ’s closure is a way of silenc- room for manoeuvre and independence as much ing any comments about, for example, violent as possible, especially those that intervene in crime or shortages of essential products. The sensitive areas such as prisons, abuse of author- 2002 coup became an argument for justifying ity by the army and police, and human rights in this takeover of the means of expression and general. My NGO, for example, is no longer able public structures. The government tried for a to go as a ‘visitor’ into prisons where violence is while to take advantage of broad support in the endemic. Venezuela has 18,500 detainees, of journalist community. It has turned journalists Radio Caracas Televisión whom 133 died in their cells in the first quarter of RCTV against it by announcing ’s closure, even 2007, 18 of them on the same day in the same those who did not like this station. Now we are prison. This situation did not begin under or media hegemony all in an impasse.” Chávez, but it bothers them because it has not

e of been resolved since he took office.” The Foreign Press Association (APEX), which At the same time, the 204 NGOs that used to groups more than 90 correspondents of about get subsidies from CANTV are waiting to see 50 news media, took an equally pessimistic

es way f what will happen now that it has been nation- osur enezuela view, stressing the climate of mistrust between alised. the press and government (a problem also V Cl pav

6 In the wait for the law’s final adoption, the gov- longer needs a law to impose his “cadenas,” ernment does not lack ways to put pressure on which his opponents hail by honking car horns journalists and NGO activists who are too talka- and beating pots and pans. “On the radio, we tive or obstructive. “The 2004 recall referendum have to put up with the noise of tanks when that Hugo Chávez won was requested by the Chávez insists on military parades being broad- opposition,” said Prado. “At the time, deputy cast,” a journalist complained. Two more public Luis Tascón produced a list of all the signatories to TV stations are soon to be launched – a cable the petition demanding the referendum – 12 million Canal de Noticias and a terrestrial Canal I. Is names with their political leaning, their ID card there no limit to this voracious appetite? number and so on. It caused a scandal because it was unconstitutional to do It is the appetite of “a man whose own country is this. The government denied it not big enough,” says Hernández, the sociologist. at first. Finally Chávez ordered “Venezuela is too small in his eyes. For Chávez, the government not to use the the cult of the military and the almost religious cult list any more.” of Simón Bolívar are linked. His regime is based on an army-caudillo-people triptych with Third Luis Tascón The RCTV affair has seen World leader ambitions.” Among the foreigners this kind practice revived under the aegis of Eva who have inspired the future constitutional reform Golinger, a Venezuelan-American lawyer based are such different people as in New York and author of a book entitled the “El Spanish academic Juan Código Chávez” (The Chávez Code) about US Carlos Monedero, Le Monde involvement in the 2002 coup and the recipients Diplomatique editor Ignacio of US funding in Venezuela. On 25 May, she pro- Ramonet and Argentine politi- duced a blacklist of Venezuelan journalists who cal scientist Norberto have travelled to the United States. It included Juan Carlos Ceresole, former éminence the Reporters Without Borders correspondent. Monedero grise of the “carapintadas,” an far-right military faction that staged uprisings dur- ing Raúl Alfonsín’s presidency. Does Chavism dissolve in freedom of expression? So, does Chavism mean dic- tatorship? “No,” replied Hernández, “it is more of an Let us sum up. Complete control of the state, authoritarian mix of different government and armed forces. No opponents in discourses, including the dis- Ignacio Ramonet parliament, as the opposition boycotted the 2005 course of a dispenser of justice and revenge, legislative elections. A ruling party that is virtually anti-Americanism, calculated references to the only party. Twenty-two out of twenty-four Cuba, militarism and primitive religion in the form state governors who are entirely loyal. And soon, of the dream of a new man. But all the while with a largely neutralised civil society. guarantees, promises of democracy.”

By closing RCTV and above all by taking its One democratic guarantee has perhaps gone equipment for Tves, Chávez has tightened his with RCTV’s closure. Street demonstrators of all grip on the last bastion that was holding out – political tendencies spoke of a “first step the media. The media under his control now towards a dictatorship.” The reality is much include the main national daily, Últimas Noticias more nuanced, but the deed is there. President Radio Caracas Televisión (with a print-run of 200,000 copies), a score of Chávez may believe he has put an end to a radio stations (and many of the community radio media war that had gone on for five years, but or media hegemony stations), the public TV stations Venezolana de he certainly has not pacified an extremely Televisión (with its programmes “La Hojilla” and

e of polarised society. “Aló Presidente”), Telesur, Vive TV, Asamblea Nacional and now Tves, the commercial TV stations Intentions Televen and Venevisión, and the telecommunica-

es way f - As “the participation of Radio Caracas Televisión

osur tions and Internet operator CANTV. enezuela (RCTV) in the coup of 11 April 2002” was not With all these media, the president no longer a

V Cl pav legally established (and this was essential in order

7 to have grounds for not renewing its licence);

- As the supreme court ruling of 25 May order- ing the seizure of RCTV’s equipment for the new TV station, Televisora Venezolana Social (Tves), clearly violates the telecommunications law of 12 June 2000, which recognizes that the media own their equipment;

- As this seizure not only deprives RCTV of its terrestrial broadcast outlet but also jeopardizes its ability to broadcast by cable;

- As the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuelan, a member of the Organisation of American States (OAS), violated the American Convention on Human Rights, to which it is bound, by failing to comply with the injunctions of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights regarding the protection of RCTV’s per- sonnel and equipment;

- As the president of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuelan decided unilaterally to close RCTV;

Reporters Without Borders intends to refer the case of RCTV to the United Nations Human Rights Council, whose next session will be in Geneva from 11 to 18 June, to the UN special rapporteur for freedom of expression and to the Council of Europe. The press freedom organisa- tion also intends to refer the case to the Inter- American Commission on Human Rights IACHR) and to its special rapporteur for freedom of expression and information. Referring the case to the IACHR obliges the government of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela to cooper- ate with the commission and attend any hearing it convenes.

Radio Caracas Televisión or media hegemony e of es way f osur enezuela V Cl pav

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