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With President Hugo Chávez missing -as expected- and with a "condemnation against the violations" his government has perpetrated against "reporters' human rights," the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) Sunday in Caracas ended its half-yearly meeting.

In the resolutions regarding Venezuela, the group comprising the editors and owners of newspapers in the American continent also condemned "the constant intimidating threats and outrages against independent newspapers, radio stations and television channels" in Venezuela by Chávez's government.
 
According to the IAPA, the Venezuelan ruler is disregarding the results of last December 2 referendum -whereby Venezuelans rejected his proposed changes to the Constitution. However, the group claimed, Chávez now intends to impose regulations curtailing civil rights and freedom of expression and information "by ruling through presidential decrees."

The IAPA highlighted "the government harassment against the independent media and the use of both the Judiciary and the discretionary allocation of foreign exchange to perpetrate intimidating and aggressive actions against reporters and institutions playing a role in plural communications serving the people."

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Asked what the IAPA expected from the Venezuelan government, the chairman of the IAPA Committee on Freedom of Expression, Gonzalo Marroquín, replied, "All we would like to see is a shift in the relationship between the government and the press, and that the government understands that in the end confrontation does nothing but undermining democracy and freedom of expression, both of which should prevail over political and ideological interests."

He added that the Inter-American Press Association decided to hold its half-yearly meeting in Caracas "to demand the government to respect the news media, not to misuse government advertisements as a means of reward or punishment, to stop harassing the radio-electric media and to stop threatening radio stations and television channels with closure, and to respect the Venezuelan people's right to information."

Meanwhile, IAPA chairman Earl Maucker said the organization's goal was "not inciting to violence," like some sectors in Venezuela claimed. "The mission is to support our reporters and colleagues, and support freedom of expression in the hemisphere."

David Natera, the IAPA regional vice-president and chairman of the Venezuelan Press Bloc, described the assembly as "a very important opportunity for debate where we reached conclusions that enrich the exercise of democracy."

The IAPA next October is holding its year-end assembly in Madrid.

Translated by Maryflor Suárez R.