In Venezuela "there was a drop in the number of physical attacks on journalists in 2005," the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) published Tuesday in a report on the hemispheric media for 2005. However, the threat was replaced by "institutionalized repression and renewed legal restrictions on the media."

The report pointed also to lessening "climate of violent political confrontation that prevailed over the last five years," AP quoted.

"President Hugo Chávez continued consolidating his control after the uproarious recall referendum in 2004."

As stated in the paper, "in 2005, the frequency of physical attacks fell twofold, as well as severity. But a type of threat was replaced with another when the Chávez' government moved to institutionalized repression and new legal restrictions on the media."