31 Mar 10 | Index Index, minipost
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.
30 Mar 10 | Index Index, minipost
On 28 March, Wilmer Azuaje was banned by Venezuela’s highest court from speaking to the media about criminal charges alleging he struck a police official. The measure is meant to protect the “reputation, integrity and honour of the victim.” Azuaje, former Deputy of the National Assembly and an outspoken opponent of President Hugo Chavez, was detained on 25 March after prosecutors accused him of insulting a public official and breaking a law that prohibits violence against women. The National Assembly, which is dominated by allies of Chavez, lifted Azuaje’s immunity as a lawmaker from prosecution Friday — a rare step usually reserved for crimes such as corruption. He was later released on 27 March.
25 Mar 10 | Index Index, minipost
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.
17 Mar 10 | Index Index, minipost
On 13 March, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez called for new internet regulations and demanded that authorities crack down on a news website he accused of spreading false information. Chávez claimed the Noticiero Digital website had falsely reporting that two of his political allies had been assassinated. Noticiero Digital acknowledged that the forum posts Chávez singled out contained rumors posted by site users but said it had removed them within hours. “The internet cannot be something open where anything is said and done. No, every country has to apply its own rules and norms,” Chavez said during his televised speech. He also cited German Chancellor Angela Merkel as having voiced similar sentiments recently.
