Journalist convicted of criminal defamation
New York, May 5, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is alarmed by the criminal defamation conviction of Venezuelan journalist Henry Crespo, who was handed an 18-month suspended jail term after reporting on government corruption. Crespo, a reporter for the Caracas-based weekly Las Verdades de Miguel, was sentenced by the Caracas Eighteenth Tribunal on Wednesday. The…
Journalist released on parole
Updated: April 12, 2006 Original Alert: March 6, 2006 Gustavo Azócar, Televisora del Táchira IMPRISONED After being held at a maximum security prison in San Cristóbal for two weeks, Azócar was released on parole on March 22. Azócar may continue to host his television program “Café con Azócar” on Televisora del Táchira and write for…
Newspaper director convicted on defamation, slander charges
APRIL 11, 2006 Posted: May, 05 Ada Mireya Zurita, El Siglo LEGAL ACTION A judge decision convicted Zurita, director of the Maracay-based daily El Siglo, on criminal charges of defamation and slander. Judge Verónica Castro gave Zurita an 18-month suspended sentence and ordered her to pay legal fees to the plaintiff, Terry Rojas, chief of…
Venezuelan photographer gunned down near anti-crime protest
New York, April 6, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns the killing on Wednesday of Venezuelan photographer Jorge Aguirre, who was shot as he approached an anti-crime demonstration. CPJ calls on Venezuelan authorities to conduct a prompt investigation and bring the killer to justice.
Bomb attack and threats against newspaper
New York, March 10, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists condemns a bomb attack on a Venezuelan newspaper and a threat against its editor. Unidentified assailants threw three homemade explosives on Wednesday at the offices of the daily La Región in Los Teques, southwest of Caracas. No one was injured in the attack, which caused minor…
Journalist arrested at TV station
New York, March 6, 2006—The Committee to Protect Journalists is concerned by the arrest today on fraud charges of a Venezuelan journalist known for his criticism of state authorities. Gustavo Azócar Alcalá was arrested in the western state of Táchira minutes after finishing a daily show he hosts on the San Cristóbal-based TV station Televisora…
Attacks on the Press 2005: Americas Analysis
All the News That Can’t Be PrintedBy Carlos LauríaGood investigative reporters know more than they can write. The problem in some Latin American countries is that good reporters are barely writing anything. From Brazil to the U.S.-Mexico border, journalists are looking over their shoulders before sitting down at their computers or going on the air.…
Attacks on the Press 2005: United States
UNITED STATES An investigation into the leak of a CIA officer’s identity erupted, with one reporter compelled to testify about his confidential source, another jailed for 85 days before she testified, and a high-level White House aide indicted on federal charges of perjury, false statements, and obstruction of justice. Confidentiality of sources was under attack…
Attacks on the Press 2005: Venezuela
VENEZUELA CPJ traced a decline in physical attacks against journalists in 2005, as five years of violent political upheaval finally subsided. President Hugo Chávez Frías further consolidated his control following a tumultuous recall vote the previous year that saw journalists assaulted and harassed by government supporters, opposition activists, and security forces. In 2005, the frequency…