Journalism has become a risky profession in Venezuela. As evidence of this, from January 2006 through December 2010, eight journalists have been killed and other 211 have been attacked and harassed for fulfilling their duty to inform.

This complaint was made by the National Commission of Journalists (Conapro) in a report submitted this week to South Africa's Navi Pillay, the UN High Commissioner of Human Rights, and to the UN Human Rights Council, within the framework of the Universal Periodic Review, a process which involves a review of the human rights record of all 192 UN Member States. Venezuela will undergo such assessment this year.

In its report, the Commission composed of the Venezuelan Journalists' Association (CNP), the Venezuelan Press Workers' Union (SNTP), the Circle of Venezuela's Press Photographers and NGO Espacio Público (Public Space) questioned the lack of action taken by the Venezuelan authorities in the investigation and punishment of cases related to the onslaught on media workers.

"The general pattern of these events is the lack of investigations leading to the punishment of those responsible for violence. This ratifies a pattern of impunity and implies that the State unresponsiveness increases the professional risk of journalists, and also the mechanisms of self-censorship and intimidation," journalists said. They mentioned, as an example, the investigation into the attack against 12 journalists of the Venezuelan news outlet Cadena Capriles in 2009, during a demonstration against the country's new Education Law. Although there are photographic records of the event, no one has been prosecuted.

The journalist associations also complained about the government restrictions to the access of public information sources and cautioned that the situation could worsen due to the implementation of a Situational Study of the Country (Cesna). This agency will decide which information may be released and which one should be withheld.

The above-mentioned reports were also supported by NGO Ágora Constitucional, composed of Law professors, who in their report stated that amendments to the Criminal Code and the Radio and Television Social Responsibility Law (Resorte Law) have promoted self-censorship, thus restricting free flow of information.

Translated by Gerardo Cárdenas

Source: ElUniversal.com