Attacks on the Press in 1998 - Venezuela
| Publisher | Committee to Protect Journalists |
| Publication Date | February 1999 |
| Cite as | Committee to Protect Journalists, Attacks on the Press in 1998 - Venezuela, February 1999, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/47c5658f19.html [accessed 5 June 2023] |
| Disclaimer | This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States. |
As of December 31, 1998
A group of media owners has petitioned the Supreme Court to overturn the 1994 Law for the Practice of Journalism, which mandates that journalists must have both a university degree and a license. The court is expected to rule on the law's constitutionality in early 1999.
Just prior to the December presidential election, there were reports in the press that Hugo Chávez, a former colonel and the leading presidential candidate, had plotted to shoot journalists and opposition leaders if the vote did not go in his favor. Chávez vigorously denied the reports, describing them as an attempt by his opponents to discredit him. He won the election handily, and will take office in February 1999.
Defamation is a criminal offense in Venezuela punishable by up to 18 months in prison. While journalists say that legal action is rare, William Ojeda was convicted in 1996 of defaming two judges in a book he wrote on corruption in the judiciary and served five months in prison in 1997.
