Condoleezza Rice requests OAS examine Venezuelan press freedom

Jun 4, 2007, 21:15 GMT

Panama City - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice requested on Monday that the secretary general of the Organization of American States (OAS) investigate alleged violations of freedom of the press in Venezuela.

In a brief speech to the afternoon session of the OAS general assembly in Panama City, Rice proposed OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza travel to Venezuela and issue a report on the issue. She said the request is backed by US President George W Bush.

'We, the members of the OAS, must defend freedom where it is under siege in our hemisphere, and we must support freedom whenever and wherever it is denied,' she said.

In late May, the Venezuelan government led by left-wing populist Hugo Chavez refused to renew the broadcasting licence of the popular Radio Caracas Television (RCTV), a move which led to street protests across Venezuela and criticism from abroad.

The station was shut down in May and replaced by a new, government-controlled channel, Televisora Venezolana Sozial (Teves), which began broadcasting almost immediately.

Supporters of Chavez, a leftwing populist, held public celebrations for the end of RCTV, which has been sharply critical of the Chavez regime along with both the conservative and liberal political opposition. RCTV also supported a failed 2002 coup attempt against Chavez.

Rice said the requested trip to Venezuela by Insulza would be aimed at carrying out consultations with all parties involved in the dispute.

'In keeping with Article 18 of the Democratic Charter, we urge the secretary general to go to Venezuela to consult in good faith with all interested parties and to present a full report to the foreign ministers through the Permanent Council,' Rice said.

All countries in the hemisphere, except Cuba, are members of the OAS.

'Every democracy must govern democratically, respecting and protecting the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all of its citizens,' Rice said.

Venezuelan Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro denounced what he termed US interventionism in Venezuela and criticized US immigration policies.

'Our democracy is not a democracy subject to tutelage. We have broken the ties of dependency,' Maduro said.