Human Rights Watch warns: freedom of expression under serious threat in Venezuela

<a href=www.vheadline.com>venezuela's Electronic News Posted: Thursday, May 22, 2003 By: Patrick J. O'Donoghue

Washington based Human Rights Watch (HRW) says Venezuela's newly approved media content law hinders minimum rights to freedom of expression... 

Concluding a three-day visit to Venezuela, HRW general secretary, Jose Miguel Vivancos points out that the media guarantee democracy, whereas in his view Venezuela's media content law promotes a climate of self-censure. 

The right to truthful and objective information, Vivancos proclaims,  does not exist in international law. 

"We know it exists in the Venezuelan 1999 Constitution, which attempts to gather the principles of international law, but objective information is built on a partial, limited and generic base that the media provides ... people can form an opinion in the measure that alternative sources exist ... people have the right to choose as regards information ... it doesn't take place in Cuba where there is no option."

• Vivancos accepts that the fact that media involvement is the best proof of full exercise of freedom of expression in Venezuela.

"That's democracy ... if the situation changes, we will be forced to highlight it ... freedom of expression is under serious threat in Venezuela because of a legal process against four TV channels, which hangs on a decision from Infrastructure Minister Diosdado Cabello and, of course, government legislation currently under debate in the National Assembly."