According to the IPYS report, October 2022 was the month in which acts once morest press freedom were denounced, with 72 records.
Throughout 2022, the closure of 107 stations throughout the country was registered by orders of the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel).
He Press and Society Institute of Venezuela (IPYS), revealed this Monday, March 6, that during the year 2022 violence and impunity obscured the practice of journalism in the country.
According to the IPYS annual report, in 2022, 257 cases were registered, representing 373 violations of information guarantees of journalists, media and citizens.
Between January and December of last year, IPYS Venezuela detailed that the actions of violations were the following:
– A murder
– 130 administrative restrictions
– 62 facts of stigmatizing speech
– 55 physical and verbal aggressions
– 43 restrictions on access to information
– 29 acts of judicial harassment
– 27 internet restrictions
– 21 acts of censorship,
– Two arbitrary arrests
– An enforced disappearance
– Alerts for gender violence on two occasions
October, the month with the most attacks
According to the IPYS report, October 2022 was the month in which acts once morest press freedom were denounced, with 72 recordsfollowed by September with 41 restrictions that correspond to the wave of cessation of broadcasts from radio stations.
The rest of the cases were distributed as follows: January (20), February (16), March (15), April (10), May (6), June (12), July (18), August (25 ), November (16) and December (6).
Closure of stations
Throughout 2022, 107 stations were closed throughout the country by order of the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel).
According to IPYS figures, the closure of stations occurred in Zulia (33)Falcón (18), Táchira (14), Sucre (10), Cojedes (6), Yaracuy (6), Barinas (3), Carabobo (3), Portuguesa (3), Anzoátegui (2), Guárico (2) , Monagas (2), Nueva Esparta (2), Lara (1), Merida (1) and Miranda (1).
The organization found that 11 of the stations that went off the air had requested authorization to transmit to Conatelbut got no response.
victims
IPYS warned that violent acts and impunity “they perpetuate and increase the hostile climate that surrounds the press”and at the same time that it “normalizes these arbitrary situations that violate the journalistic exercise”.
Regarding the number of victims, 162 were the media, 77 reporters, 12 photojournalists, 12 media directors, 11 announcers, 9 cameramen, 6 editors, 5 human rights activists, 5 human rights organizations, 2 trade union organizations, 4 columnists, 4 television conductors, a writer and a camera assistant.
Regarding the gender distribution of the victims, 89 were men and 53 women.
Violation of the right of access to information
Between January and December 2022, according to IPYS, there were 43 violations of the right of access to information: 38 obstructions to journalistic work due to the impediment of access to places and five restrictions to interview public officials.
According to the organization, the main perpetrators were state security forces, employees of mayors’ offices and ministries, and security officials of public institutions.
In total, the State was the perpetrator in 75% of the 257 cases of violations of information freedoms verified by IPYS Venezuela during 2022.
Limitations on freedom of expression
According to the IPYS Venezuela report, the State was the main perpetrator in the limitations once morest freedom of expression and freedom of the press during 2022, responsible in 192 cases.
Likewise, the main aggressors were the National Telecommunications Commission, with 111 cases, State security forces (36)pro-government sympathizers (24), and the mayors and their dependencies (14).
