H.E. Hugo Chávez
President
Office of the President
Palacio de Miraflores
Ave. Urdaneta
Caracas
Republic of Venezuela
Fax: (011.58.2) 21-162
Your Excellency:
The Overseas Press Club of America joins the rest of the modern world in its outrage at the closure of Radio Caracas Television, Venezuelaâ??s most popular television station. The closure appears to be clear retaliation for the stationâ??s unwillingness to support your presidency, and it is a blow to the idea of freedom of the press and freedom of expression in Venezuela.
It is heartening to observe that we are joined in our outrage by the tens of thousands of Venezuelans who have taken to the streets in protest. International watchdog organizations and prominent international figures have criticized the move, as well, pointing out that taking Radio Caracas Television off the air is illegal under Venezuelan law and in contradiction of the jurisprudence established by the Organization of American States, to which Venezuela belongs.
We stand with Reporters Without Borders (RSF), which is referring the matter to the United Nations Human Rights Council. Our colleagues at RSF have called the closure more than just an administrative measure, as your government has claimed. Noting that it comes five months after you announced the stationâ??s license would not be renewed because it had supported the coup that briefly ousted you in April 2002. We are in agreement with RSF that the move against Radio Caracas Television is â??a political move without precedent in Latin Americaâ? and part of a determined effort by your government to â??control and occupy the entire public arenaâ?ÂÂ.
Writing in The New York Times last week, Alejandro Toledo, former president of Peru, argued that your moves to control the press have broad implications for the entire region. Calling on the Organization of American States to act, he wrote, â??If freedom of speech is restricted in one of our countries silence could spread to other nations, especially those with leaders who wish to be permanently flattered.â?ÂÂ
We could not agree more with former President Toledo. With the interests of Venezuela in mind, we urge you to recognize that the only way to build a healthy society and a prosperous economy is by allowing freedom of information and expression. Without a free press, Venezuela can not prosper.
Respectfully yours,
Dorinda Elliott
Kevin McDermott
Freedom of the Press Committee
cc:
Sr. Marcel Garnier
President
RCTV
Avenida Sur 4, Dolores a Puente Soublette
Edificio RCTV, Quinta Crespo
Caracas
Venezuela
Hon. IsaÃÂÂas RodrÃÂÂguez DÃÂÂaz
Attorney General
Edificio sede del Ministerio Público
Caracas
Republic of Venezuela
Fax: (011.58.212) 509-8080
Sr. William Lara
Ministro de Comunicaciones e Informacion
Av. Universidad, Esq. “El Chorro” (Torre MCT, piso 10)
Caracas
Republic of Venezuela
H.E. Bernardo Alvarez Herrera
Ambassador of Venezuela to the U.S.A.
Embassy of the Republic of Venezuela
1099 30th Street NW
Washington, DC 20007
Fax: (202) 342-6820
Ambassador Fermin Toro Jimenez
Permanent Representative
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Venezuela to the United Nations
335 East 46th Street
New York, NY 10017
Fax: (212) 557-3528
H.E. William R. Brownfield
U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela
Embassy of the United States of America
P. O. Box 62291
Caracas 1060-A
Venezuela
Fax: (011.58.2) 975-6710
(OR: U.S. Embassy â?? Venezuela Andres Mata Osorio
APO AA 34037 El Universal
c/o Sociedad Interaamericana de Prensa
Ms. Melba Jimenez Jules Dubois Building
Inter American Press Association 1801 S.W. Third Avenue
1801 S.W. Third Avenue Miami, FL 33129
Miami, FL 33129 Fax: (305) 635-2272
Fax: (305) 635-2272