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H.E. Hugo Chávez
President
Office of the President
Palacio de Miraflores
Ave. Urdaneta
Caracas
Republic of Venezuela
Fax: (011.58.2) 21.162
Your Excellency:
The members of the Overseas Press Club of America (OPC) are shocked and dismayed by the second killing of a prominent Venezuelan journalist within a space of eleven days. The brutal murder of television anchor, Javier Garcia, on June 14 follows the shooting to death of newspaper executive, Pierre Fould Gerges, on July 2. Mr. Garcia, the news anchor for RCTV Internacional, was found dead in his bed with three stab wounds to his torso and two to his right leg, according to press reports and interviews by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ).
As you may be aware, RCTV International was launched as a subscription cable and satellite service after your government decided not to renew the license of RCTV, the country’s oldest private television station. Although it is not clear whether Mr. Garcia’s death is linked to his reporting at the new cable station, it is well known that the cable station was recognized for its critical reporting of government and business. We at the OPC understand that a suspect in the Garcia murder, Isaac Molleda, has been arrested and we urge you to prosecute this case to the full extent.
What is most disturbing is that deadly violence against the press had been rare in Venezuela until these recent cases. According to the CPJ, four journalists have been killed in direct relation to their work since 1992. This sudden spate of killings in less than one month now makes the situation truly alarming.
As we understand it, there have been no arrests for the murder of Pierre Fould Gerges. In our June 13 letter to you, we noted that Pierre Gerges was also killed under very suspicions circumstances. Mr. Gerges, the vice president of the business newspaper, Reporte de la Economica, was shot to death while driving a car belonging to his brother, Tannous Fould Gerges, president of the newspaper. Because Tannous Gerges had been instrumental in reporting on corruption cases at the state owned oil company, El Universal, and had earlier told authorities of threats on his life, there is a strong suspicion that the killers may have mistaken Pierre for his brother.
Mr. President, we hope you will put your full personal effort behind solving both of these unprecedented recent killings. Whether journalists are working for a private or government news enterprises, they are obligated to pursue the truth on behalf of the public and expect to be protected under national and international law so that they may do their jobs. These courageous news executives, their families and colleagues, deserve to have their killers brought to justice with a swift and full response.
By your actions, you can show the world that Venezuela will not tolerate violence against the press and that you will vigorously uphold the press laws of your nation.
We await your response.
Respectfully yours,
Robert L. Dowling
Larry Martz
Freedom of the Press Committee
cc:
Amio Gauldo
Director
RCTV Internacional
4380 N.W. 128 Street
Miami, Fl 33054
Fax: (305) 685.5697
Sr. Tannous F. Gerges
Presidente
Reporte de la Economa
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Sr. Marcel Garnier
President
RCTV
Dolores a Puente Soublette
Edificio RCTV, Quinta CrespoCaracas
Venezuela
Hon. Isaías Rodríguez Díaz
Attorney General
Edificio sede del Ministerio Público
Caracas
Republic of Venezuela
Fax: (011.58.212) 509.8080
Sr. William Lara Ministro de Comunicaciones e Informacion
Av. Universidad, Esq. "El Chorro"
(Torre MCT, piso 10)
Caracas
Republic of Venezuela
H.E. Bernardo Alvarez Herrera
Ambassador of Venezuela to the U.S.A.
Embassy of the Republic of Venezuela
1099 30th Street, NW
(Or: P.O. Box 62291)
Washington, DC 20007
Fax: (202) 342.6820
H.E. William Brownfield
U.S. Ambassador to Venezuela
Embassy of the United States of America
Caracas 1060-A
Venezuela
Fax: (011.58.2) 975.6710
Ambassador Fermin Toro Jimenez
Permanent Representative
Permanent Mission of the Republic of Venezuela to the United Nations
335 East 46th Street
New York, NY 10017
Fax: (212) 557.3528
Ms. Melba Jimenez
Inter-American Press Association
1801 S.W. Third Avenue
Miami, FL 33129
Fax: (305) 635.2272
Mr. Sean Penn
Creative Artists Agency
2000 Avenue of the Stars
Los Angeles, CA 90067
Fax: (424) 288.2900
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