New York, November 18, 2002—The Committee to
Protect Journalists (CPJ) is deeply concerned about recent attacks on
Venezuelan journalists, the latest of which occurred yesterday at the
24-hour news channel Globovisión.
On Sunday, November 17, a bomb went off in the parking lot of Globovisión's
offices, which are located in the eastern section of the capital, Caracas.
According to local news reports, no one was injured, but three vehicles—one
car belonging to a journalist and two Globovisión mobile units—were
destroyed.
A similar attack occurred a month earlier at Unión Radio when unidentified
individuals drove by and threw a small bomb outside the station's offices,
also in eastern Caracas. The building and an adjacent house suffered minor
damage, but no one was hurt.
Other recent attacks on the media
Two weeks ago, on November 4, several journalists were attacked while
covering an opposition march and street clashes between security forces
and radical government supporters in downtown Caracas.
- Cameraman Mauricio Muñoz Amaya, a Salvadoran who works for
Associated Press Television News (APTN), was hit with a 9 mm bullet
in the chest while he stood filming behind a row of riot police, said
APTN reporter Fernando Jáuregui. Because Muñoz was wearing
a bulletproof vest, he suffered only minor injuries. It is unclear
whether the journalist was targeted, or who fired the shot. The Public
Prosecutor's Office is investigating the incident.
- Photographer Héctor Castillo, who works for the daily El
Mundo, was taking photographs of a government supporter setting
off fireworks when the man became angry and attempted to grab his
camera. When Castillo resisted, about 15 men threw the photographer
to the ground and kicked him several times, stealing his lens and
flash. Another photographer Pedro Rey of the daily Notitarde,
along with Desirée Santos Amaral, a journalist and parliamentary
deputy for the ruling party, intervened and rescued Castillo. Rey's
flash and a mask he carried for protection against tear gas were stolen
in the scuffle.
The opposition marchers intended to deliver hundreds of thousands of signatures
calling for a referendum to end President Hugo Chávez Frías'
rule. Under the Venezuelan Constitution, a referendum to dissolve the
government and call for new elections can only be held at the midpoint
of the six-year presidential term, which is in August 2003.
Government supporters tried to block the march, erecting barricades and
throwing bottles and stones, while others fired handguns. Security forces
retaliated with tear gas and rubber bullets to keep both sides apart.
According to estimates from the local press, about 60 people were injured
in the clashes.
On the afternoon of November 10, two gunmen on a motorcycle attacked the
bodyguard of Patricia Poleo, editor of the Caracas daily El Nuevo País,
according to local news reports. The bodyguard, a police officer who was
assigned to protect Poleo, was driving Poleo's car near her house when
the men approached him, fired several shots, and fled. The bullets hit
the car, but the bodyguard escaped unharmed.
"The Venezuelan government should do everything possible to determine
who perpetrated this violent series of attacks and bring them to justice,"
said CPJ executive director Ann Cooper. "Failing to do so will only compound
the dangers for journalists seeking to cover these critical events."
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