Wednesday, April 25, 2007

A minute and a life You hear what you think are firecrackers in the barrio next door. You wife looks out the window. She says they are shots and the cops are coming. You go to the window and see the cops carrying the dead body out. Another senseless death. This guy is not even likely to be mentioned by the papers tomorrow. This is the daily reality whether you are known or not. 12:23:34 AM    comment []

Protests in Venezuela in Chile’s El Mercurio And this is one of the articles from Latin American newspapers that irked the Lt. Colonel. El Mercurio is Chile’s premier newspaper and it was the subject of the same pressures and self-censorship during the days of that other Dictator Augusto Pinochet, so they know exactly what the mechanisms and strategies of these types of Governments are. Protests in Venezuela in Chile’s El Mercurio Hugo Chávez has left aside even the appearances of a democratic regime. In the same days in which he has praetorized the Armed Forces, imposing on them the slogan  “socialism or death”, and he announces a mandatory program of Marxist indoctrination in all companies, he gets ready to give freedom of expression another blow, when he confirms that he will shut down Radio Caracas Television (RCTV) on May 27th: he did not renew the concession because he considers it a coupster media station. Each night, his brigades cover the walls of the station with graffiti that says things like “fascist station”. The police and the courts, controlled by Chavez, do nothing. The shutdown of RCTV has been criticized by the Catholic Church and by voices and international organizations (like the Secretary General of the OAS, Jose Miguel Insulza, the Chilean Senate, SIP), as well as many members of the telecommunications media. An injunction has also been presented in the Interamerican Human Rights Court. But beyond its testimonial value, there is little these protests can do against a Government that controls all the institutions of the State and silences the media: the Venezuelan Minister of Information has responded by denouncing a supposed “confabulation” by the group of dailies of the Americas-including “El Mercurio” to initiate a campaign of “lies” against the Chavista Government. In reality that group of papers has acted invariably in the defense of human rights-to cite some examples, in April 1992, against censorship in Peru, in November 1994, with respect to the “reform” in Mexico, in June 1997, of “La Nacion” in Argentina and will continue to do it. Even with all this, last Saturday, a small ray of hope was seen for basic liberties in Venezuela, when thousands of people took to the streets to protest the closing of RCTV. Convoked by opposition leaders and the workers of the TV station the march traveled across the center of the city. It is believed that tension will increase as the date of the closing approaches. “If they shut down one, they will shut them all down” said a protester. The Government declared an “alert” n the face of possible plans of “radical” opposition groups that would look to assassinate reporters to create a climate of violence and blame the Executive” None of this happened but there seems to be in it a new threat to dissident reporters. In any case, the Chavista warning to the media is explicit: if you “don’t behave, you will enjoy the same fate as RCTV”. According to polls more than 80Y% of the population rejects this closing and the Directors of the broadcasting station announce that, in one way or another, they will continue working after May 28th: “We will continue to denounce Chavez. This is not going to die on May 27th. Their fight deserves the backing of all democrats in the Continent. 12:06:40 AM    comment []