Chavez Being Investigated For Silencing Journalists
Mary K. Brunskill - All Headline News Staff Writer Caracas, Venezuela (AHN) - The U.S.-based press freedom group Inter American Press Association is in Venezuela investigating complaints that the country's president, Hugo Chavez, is trying to silence journalists critical of the leftist government through the use of new laws and the courts. Gonzalo Marroquin, head of the press freedoms commission of the Miami-based association, told the AP, "The legal cases that have been brought against journalists are another attempt to weaken the media." Several journalists in Venezuela are being investigated for charges ranging from libel to murder. Critics say the charges were fabricated to intimidate the country's independent media. The Venezuelan government insists they do not stifle freedom of expression, pointing out that there are newspapers and television stations that criticize Chavez's policies. On Monday, leaders of Journalists For Truth, a pro-Chavez group, met with the IPAA delegation. They said they are not attempting to censor legitimate journalists. Luis Roberto Mendoza, a member of the group, said, "These so-called journalists are really political activists and they have been justifiably accused of crimes, some of which aren't even related to journalism."
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