*The Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) and the Venezuelan Publishers Association (Bloque de Prensa Venezolano) Monday in Caracas held an emergency forum on freedom of speech in Venezuela.

*The issue addressed during the forum was Freedom of press and the law: threats posed by the content law and guarantees for an independent press.

*Some of the speakers were Alejandro Miró Quesada, from newspaper El Comercio de Lima and IAPA president; Asdrúbal Aguiar, from the Universidad Católica Andrés Bello; Jorge Santiestevan, former Ombudsman in Peru; Marcel Granier, president of Venezuelan TV network RCTV; opposition parliamentarian Gerardo Blyde; Sergio Muñoz, director of U.S. newspaper Los Angeles Times, and Venezuelan lawyer Alberto Arteaga Sánchez.

*Ricardo Trotti, Press Freedom Coordinator of the IAPA, Monday announced that IAPA top officials Tuesday are to meet with the Acting Secretary General of the Organization of American States (OAS), Luigi R. Einaudi, to address the situation of press freedom and freedom of speech in Venezuela vis-à-vis the impending enactment of the Radio and Television Social Responsibility Law.

*"Tomorrow (Tuesday) we are going to Washington to meet with the Acting Secretary General of the OAS, to address, among other topics, the Venezuelan issue because we are really worried about it."

*The association is to resort to any possible means to disclose the contents of the Venezuelan "media gag law" in the region. "Now, we need to know how the law is to be enforced and its regulations. So far, we have just heard threats, and we want to see how the law is to be enforced."

*Trotti agreed that such "threats" are to force the media into self-censorship, which is "regrettable." He added, however, that the IAPA is to continue "to support media associations whenever they file" any claims.

*The Ministry of Communication and Information issued Monday a press release in reply to the "usual lies from the Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) with regard to freedom of speech in our nation." Since its creation, "this trade union has supported the interests of communication corporations in the Americas," the press release added.

*"Venezuelan people need to know that rather than being a journalists association, the IAPA is a grouping of media owners in the hemisphere, i.e.: it was created for the single, major purpose of defending economic and political interests of press owners. However, usually, and because of its influence on the media, the IAPA usurps the representation of communication workers," said the press release issued by the Ministry.

*President Chávez immediately passed the Radio and Television Social Responsibility Law. After ordering its publication in Official Gazette, the President instructed his ministers to be inflexible in enforcing the law.

*¿As of today, we must start like Johan Santana, 96 miles, on the knee and on the outside corner in order to ensure compliance with this law. Enforcement will be inflexible,¿ said President Chávez, after announcing that the Radio and Television Social Responsibility Law, passed by the National Assembly, had been immediately endorsed.
The government ordered the publication of the law in the Official Gazette on this same date in order to be effective as soon as possible.

*His statements came during the opening ceremony of the 2nd Bolivarian Congress of the Peoples. Chávez stated "today (Monday) I am going to sign this law that is to put an end to fascism in the private media, which have focused on poisoning Venezuelans by sending them messages of sex, violence and by supporting destabilizing terrorism."

*"In Venezuela, the democratization of the media -(owned by) oligarchs who have supported coups and strikes- is to start very soon. The interests of the powerful will not continue to prevail over millions of people."

*He also claimed that the IAPA is the major support for coup-plotting media in Latin America. "The ineffable Inter-American Press Association is meeting today (Monday, in Caracas). They have taken the private TV stations to claim that my government is a tyrant and violates Venezuelans' human rights. But I want to ask them why don't they say anything about five Cuban citizens who are kidnapped in the United States and about the U.S. journalists who are under arrest in their own country. Hear this: the revolutionary process is moving forward and no association is to stop us from improving our children's and teenagers' mental health."

*The International Press Institute (IPI) Tuesday "strongly" condemned the decision to promulgate the Social Responsibility in Radio y Television Law, which poses "serious threats to freedom of expression in Venezuela" and tries to "silence opposition voices," reported EFE.

*IPI, a Vienna-based global network of editors, leading journalists and media executives in over 120 countries, addressed a letter to Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, who on Monday signed it into law after a heated political debate.

*"The law supports restrictive and puritanical viewing standards," said IPI in its letter. "It provides for heavy fines or the closure of stations that broadcast content that includes 'incitement to war, disruptions of public order or crime,' or promotes 'threats to national security.'"

*These restrictions, together with the harsh penalties for stations that broadcast "material that 'promotes, supports or incites disrespect towards legitimate institutions and authorities' are regarded by IPI as a direct attempt to silence opposition voices and encourage self-censorship."

*U.S. Ambassador William Brownfield thinks that the Venezuelan government should have listened to the opinion of the international community on the passage of the Radio and Television Social Responsibility Law.

*While the Ambassador recognized that Venezuela had the sovereign right of enacting the relevant domestic laws, he also recalled the duty to observe international conventions.

*"On several occasions, we have stated that the Venezuelan government -as any other government in the world- has the sovereign right to enact domestic laws, but it also has the duty to observe any conventions and agreements that have been voluntarily signed and accepted, such as the International Covenant on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and the OAS Inter-American Democratic Charter. And whenever the world community and its institutions express their view on the law, it [the Venezuelan government] should listen to these opinions," he said.

*The IAPA asked the Organization of American States, OAS, to keep an eye on Venezuela events with regard to the enforcement of the Radio and Television Social Responsibility Law.

*However, according to some sources, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights will be the monitoring body, although the Venezuelan issue may be put forward in the OAS Permanent Council, as appropriate.

*Last November 30th, the IACHR expressed its concern for the passage of this law. The Office of the Special Rapporteur for Freedom of Expression reported to the Commission on some issues that are inconsistent with Article 13, American Convention on Human Rights. This Law, according to IACHR and IAPA, among others, restricts the contents of broadcasts for a specific time, and this may infringe the Convention provisions. It is also viewed as an ambiguous law.

*Nineteen speakers took part in a discussion where opposition members attested to their dissenting votes. Some agreed to warn the pro-government faction that the restrictions to freedom of speech imposed by the law endorsed would fail to silence Venezuelans and test the people ingenuity.

*As a way of protest, a group of Congressmen covered their mouths with black fabric to signal "the gag" against freedom and democracy contained in the law.

*In the words of Alfonso Marquina -a Congressman for opposition Acción Democrática party-   "even at the top of their voices, people will continue demanding democracy and freedom."

*US State Department said on Thursday that it agrees with several organizations that consider the new Venezuela law on radio and television content as a "serious threat" to the freedom of press, reported AP. "We certainly share those concerns," said U.S. spokesman J. Adam Ereli.

*He added that the law "specifically imposes vague restrictions to contents in the (electronic) media and allows a government regulatory agency to censor contents considered harmful for the public order and the national security."

*Some of the organizations that have criticized the law are the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, the Inter-American Press Association, and the Human Rights Watch organization.

*Spanish Foreign Affairs Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos said he hoped the Radio and Television Social Responsibility Law recently passed in Venezuela gives all broadcasters "freedom." Moratinos said they expected "any law regarding the media is as transparent and democratic as possible and grants press freedom to all the media."