Cuba and Venezuela called on to stop persecution of journalists

Cuba and Venezuela called on to stop persecution of journalists

MIAMI, USA (IAPA/IFEX) -- The Global Coordinating Committee of Press
Freedom Organizations, from its semi-annual meeting in Paris, held a
thorough discussion on the lack of freedom of the press in several
countries, and at the same time urged the Venezuelan government to halt
its attacks on the media and the Cuban government to free the more than
20 imprisoned independent journalists.

The Global Coordinating Committee, which is composed of seven
organizations devoted to defending press freedom worldwide, including
IAPA, met May 30th in Paris for its regular semi-annual meeting to
review joint initiatives and strategies.

Meeting on that date were representatives from the Committee to Protect
Journalists, the Inter American Press Association, the International
Association of Broadcasting, the International Press Institute, the
World Association of Newspapers, and the World Press Freedom Committee.

Representing the IAPA was its International Affairs Committee President,
Jorge Canahuati, director of La Prensa, San Pedro Sula, Honduras.

Full texts of the Venezuela and Cuba Resolutions released after the
meeting, follow:

Venezuela The Global Coordinating Committee resolves:

To strongly condemn the crimes, attacks and harassment against the
media, their journalists and directors which result in attacks on
Freedom of Expression in Venezuela To demand the return of Radio Caracas
Television's over-the-air signal and of the facilities illegally seized
from that channel To call upon the Council of the Organization of
American States to take the necessary measures for the restoration of
Freedom of Expression in Venezuela, mainly the observance of the
sentences issued by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights and of the
precautionary measures in favor of journalists, workers and directors of
Radio Caracas Television and Globovisión To denounce the ongoing
practice of the use of official advertising as a means for the
government of President Chávez to apply pressure on independent media.

Cuba The Global Coordinating Committee resolves:

To demand the unconditional release of the imprisoned journalists and
recognition by the government of the independent practice of the
profession To demand an end to the repressive acts against independent
journalists and their families To call upon the Cuban government to
allow the immediate departure of the journalists who have received visas
to emigrate from the country To roundly condemn the intensification of
governmental control over the use of the Internet and the hampering of
access to the blogs produced from Cuba To demand of the government
acceptable treatment of the foreign correspondents who carry out their
work in Cuba.

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