I'm not going to talk about the accusations that havebeen dogging Chavez for the past few months. Although the accusations are numerous and extremely serious in nature.
Instead, lets focus first of all on the law Chavez has already passed and has been put into effect..
Human Rights Watch said that it has targeted only critics.
Venezuela: Repeal Measures Aimed at Critics
(Washington, DC) - The Venezuelan government has adopted and proposed measures that reduce the ability of government critics to voice their opinions and will seriously limit freedom of expression in Venezuela, Human Rights Watch said today.
Reporters Without Borders said it was outright censorship:
34 broadcast media shut down at government’s behest
Reporters Without Borders vigorously condemns the massive closure of broadcast media on allegedly "administrative grounds." The government announced yesterday that it was withdrawing the licences of a total of 34 radio and TV stations, 13 of which already stopped broadcasting yesterday.
"Is it still possible to publicly express any criticism at all of President Hugo Chávez’s "Bolivarian" government?" the press freedom organisation asked. "This massive closure of mainly opposition media is a dangerous for the future of democratic debate in Venezuela and is motivated by the government’s desire to silence dissent. It will just exacerbate social divisions."
Many have claimed this is legal and even standard and unbiased, that all stations; both pro and anti Chavez are being censored. But both Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders found that to be complete and absolute bullshit. In fact IFEX, a free speech coalition made up of over 70 international and well recognized groups had this to say:
The Committee to Protect Journalists is deeply concerned by your recent announcement that regulators may revoke the concessions of 240 radio stations for failing to update their registration papers. We believe that this decision is yet another attempt by Venezuelan authorities to expand pro-government media, control the flow of information, and suppress dissent.
But that's only half of the iceberg, for the attempts by the Venezuelan Government to prevent dissent are even more heinous than this. The new legislation placed on the table by the Attorney General together with Chavez outlaws dissent. And I'm not joking, if you say anything that the Government disagrees with on Television, on the Radio, even on Cable, in Venezuela you can go to jail. You can serve up to 4 years of prison.
That's the reason group after group has come out against the measure.
Humans Right Watch:
(Washington, DC) - The Venezuelan government has adopted and proposed measures that reduce the ability of government critics to voice their opinions and will seriously limit freedom of expression in Venezuela, Human Rights Watch said today.
On July 30, 2009, Venezuela's attorney general introduced draft legislation on "media crimes" that establish prison sentences of up to four years for anyone who, through media outlets, provides "false" information that "harm[s] the interests of the state."
"What we are witnessing is the most comprehensive assault on free speech in Venezuela since Chávez came to power," said José Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch. "With the exception of Cuba, Venezuela is the only country in the region that shows such flagrant disregard for universal standards of freedom of expression."
IFEX once more:
(CPJ/IFEX) - New York, July 30, 2009 - A bill by Venezuela's attorney general that punishes "press crimes" with prison terms is an unprecedented step in the crusade by President Hugo Chávez Frías' administration to curtail media freedom, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
Attorney General Luisa Ortega Díaz said that the Venezuelan government needs to confront "new forms of criminality created by the abusive exercise of freedom of information and opinion" when introducing the bill before the legislature today, according to local news reports.
"This bill is reminiscent of the dark days of Latin American dictatorships with its archaic provisions for so-called 'media crimes,'" said Carlos Lauría, CPJ's senior program coordinator for the Americas. "It is a serious setback to freedom of expression and democracy in Venezuela, and part of a pattern of repression by President Chávez to silence independent and critical voices. It must be scrapped immediately."
There is not a single international organization that his remained silent about this law, and even before it has been passed every single independent television station has been shut down in Venezuela, that is all but one...
The citizens of Venezuela seem to remain clueless, some have gathered for protest, but others seem to be misled by Chavez, attacking one of these television stations with Tear Gas as the death threats against journaliststhroughout the country seems to become a common event.
I'm calling this diary The Early Report Week 1, because it's the first week and the beginning of the end of the down spiral of liberty in Venezuela. First RCTV was closed, now practically every Television, Radio, and even Cable station will be controlled by the Government, and those who aren't will be extremely regulated, and the threat of jail will most likely be constant.
Other countries are learning from Venezuela and it seems a war on the Freedom of Expression and Freedom of Speech is about to erupt throughout most of South America.
Noam Chomsky once said, "He who controls the media controls the minds of the public." If that still holds true than the minds of Venezuela will continue to be held by Chavez far into the foreseeable future.
Recommend this and speak out against what Chavez is doing in Venezuela. It's undefendable at any level, he is setting up a media monopoly. In a future election, even if Chavez lost, would the people know any better? Or would it be no different from Iran? Ahmadinejad and the Ayatollah used the media to control the people and when the new media emerged and they were unable to control it, only then did the Green Revolution start. Chavez is trying to do the same thing as Ahmadinejad, and wouldn't one expect it, he congratulated that Dictator on his brilliant "Electoral Victory." I wonder what kind of victories we'll see from Chavez in his future elections?
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