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Venezuela: journalist sentence to two years in prison

On 25 March, journalist Gustavo Azocar, host of “Café con Azócar,” a news and political commentary of Televisora del Táchira, was sentenced to two years and six months imprisonment for illegal profiting in acts of public administration. Judge José Hernán Oliveros found the journalist guilty of fraud in the signing of a 2000 advertising contract between the state lottery and Radio Noticias 106, where he was working at the time. Azocar, an outspoken critic of Chavez’s government, was released from prison, where he had been held since July 2009, and he will be able to serve his sentence on probation.

Venezuela: Opposition Leader Detained

Oswaldo Álvarez Paz, former presidential candidate and leader of the Christian Socialist Copei party, was detained by police on 22 March and has been charged with conspiracy, spreading false information and publicly inciting violation. The arrest came two weeks after the politician appeared on Globovision. Álvarez Paz said at that time that Venezuela had links to illegal armed groups and had become a base for drug trafficking. ”Someone cannot stand up to defame, to lie, to manipulate in the media here and not have anything happen,” Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami said.

Venezuela: dangerous territory

Hugo Chavez’s administration has once again come under fire for its record on freedom of expression and its treatment of journalists. But as the government refuses to acknowledge its shortcomings, is it also reneging on its commitment to international treaties on human rights, asks Daniel Duquenal
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