Chávez’s authoritarian media crackdown in Venezuela
President Hugo Chávez, of Venezuela, signs a law that imposes absolute censorship of opinion through the media, shuts down several radio and TV stations. All the independent media is under imminent risk of takeover.
The authoritarian move against democracy has two main starting points: a coup against the incumbent government and the crackdown or takeover of the independent media. Hugo Chávez has inaugurated a new mode of antidemocratic takeover: manipulating democracy’s own institutions, like the Legislative and the Judiciary branches, to destroy the foundations of democratic rule and establishing an authoritarian regime. He cannot be blamed for leading a coup against any legitimate ruler. He was elected. However, after his election he intervened on the institutions of democracy to place them under his absolute control. Since the beginning he has maneuvered to silence the media, shutting down TV stations, newspapers and radio stations. He jailed journalists and media owners without a due process of law.
Now, with the institutions entirely devoid of checks and balances, and the opposition dispossessed of the means for legitimate action against his abuses of power, he imposes an intentionally ambiguous and totalitarian law. It turns any expression of opinion through the media into a potentially “mediatic delinquency”, liable to prosecution and imprisonment.
People are protesting on the streets and will very likely be violently repressed. Chávez says he has taken this action because the people clamored for it. He also said it was time to give the media back to the people. The government is also saying it is a simple regulatory initiative. The new law de facto revokes the Constitution’s rule on freedom of expression and freedom of information.
With this move against freedom of the press, actually a more general action against freedom of speech, Chávez establishes a fully authoritarian regime in Venezuela.
(Sergio Abranches)
A good op-ed piece by dissident Teodoro Petkoff (in Spanish) here.
Hugo Chavez says its time to give the media back to the people (in English): here.
Venezuela bill threatens media crackdown here.
Venezuela begins shutdown of 34 radio stations here.
Tags: authoritarianism, censorship, Chávez, democracy, freedom of the press, Venezuela