In the case of Venezuela, it stands out that “there has been no progress in terms of freedom of expression and the press”, on the contrary, in “the period between August 2, 2023 and August 1, 2024, new variants of gag on the expression of citizens and journalists, as well as greater pressure on the different radio and television companies”
Text: Beisys Marcano / Caroní Mail
The Chapultepec Index of the Inter American Press Association (IAPA) corresponding to 2024, published this week by the organization, indicates that the average of the 22 nations analyzed in the fifth edition between August 2, 2023 and August 1, 2024 is below the mid-range in the ranking, which represents a decline for the second consecutive year.
The president of the IAPA Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information, Carlos Jornet, when presenting the results of the Index investigations during the 80th General Assembly of the organization, held in the city of Córdoba, Argentina, pointed out that no country was located in the “freedom of expression” group, unlike the previous three years where up to two countries were classified with these characteristics.
In the “without freedom of expression” group, Cuba, Venezuela and Nicaragua repeat in the same positions for two editions. Venezuela shows a drop of 6.23 points, the greatest difference in results between the three countries in this group.
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Regarding the Venezuela case, the report states that “the actions of the Venezuelan State authorities in matters of freedom of expression and the press in Venezuela suffered a setback in its already deteriorated media ecosystem and to the detriment of the citizen’s confidence in expressing their opinions.” ideas, both in the field of street protest and in the use of social networks. The attacks by security forces against journalists and citizens increased as a result of complaints against the announcement of the electoral results by the National Electoral Council.”
“There has been no progress in terms of freedom of expression and the press in the study period. On the contrary, the period between August 2, 2023 and August 1, 2024 includes the incorporation of new variants of gag on the expression of citizens and journalists, as well as greater pressure on the different radio and television companies. “, indicates the summary of the study for the Venezuelan case.
Likewise, the number of people who have been detained by the authorities, in a civil-military-police alliance – described as this by the government itself – stands out, which is estimated at more than 1,500. Noting that “those arrested, including at least ten journalists, have been accused of crimes such as terrorism, instigation of hatred and conspiracy.”
The report specifies that in the electoral context “the Venezuelan Executive applied restrictions and blocks to the social network
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The Chapultepec Index that collects the assessment of journalists, editors, academics and activists, who “this year kept the country in the penultimate position, but with a drop of more than six points – almost half of its measurement from the previous period – maintaining in the fringe of nations without freedom of the press and expression.”
Within the classification, the countries with “high restriction” are Honduras, Peru, Guatemala, Bolivia and El Salvador, which is equivalent to 23% of the total representation of the Index. Peru’s decline in four positions compared to the previous period stood out. Honduras repeats as the head of the group, and the rest exchange positions with respect to the previous edition.
The group of countries where freedoms of expression and the press are “in restriction” are made up of Paraguay, Costa Rica, Argentina – still above the global average for the region – Ecuador, Mexico and Colombia.
The “low restriction” band of this year’s Index is made up of Chile, the Dominican Republic, Canada, the United States, Brazil, Uruguay, Jamaica and Panama.
On the other hand, Brazil’s positive variation in relation to the results of the last edition stands out, with an increase of eight positions.
The SIP Chapultepec Index is coordinated by academics from the Andrés Bello Catholic University of Venezuela, through an extensive network of experts in 22 countries in the Americas.
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