[Witness spoke in Spanish, interpreted as follows:]
Thank you very much, and thank you for inviting us to participate in this meeting.
My name is Carlos Correa, and I am the Director of Espacio Publico.
Since the beginning of the government of Hugo Chávez, the government has identified independent media as a political enemy. The criminalization of journalistic coverage has facilitated attacks against the media, and we have also seen impunity in cases of violence against journalists and a normalization of blocking or obstacles in the way of coverage, as well as restrictions that complicate the situation for the media in Venezuela and the ability of people to access information.
From 2002 until now, in the past 17 years, we have recorded more than 1,000 cases of violence, harassment and attacks against the media and journalists. This has enabled institutional mechanisms of restriction through arbitrary administration of telecommunication restrictions. There have been sanctions, closing of media sources, censorship by enforcing a change in editorial lines, or firing of large numbers of journalists. There has been pressure to eliminate people who voice criticism of the government, and these cases have come up to more than 1,800 violations of the right to freedom of expression, which represents 51% of the cases we have registered since 2002.
In 2017 alone, when there were large protests against the national government in Venezuela, 61 media sources were closed. That represents 32% of all the media sources that have been closed since 2002, and we have recorded 193 media sources that have been closed up until 2018. These massive closures of the media, which are happening increasingly, have significantly restricted traditional media, specifically those that reach the greatest number of people, such as television and radio.
By December 2018, 10 states in the country no longer had print media, because there was a lack of paper for printing, which has been significant and has been affecting independent media for the past five years. This is a result of the state monopoly over the distribution of paper for print media. The arbitrary administration of public resources discriminates against and punishes those who participate in independent journalism. Newspapers that were active for more than 80 years have stopped distribution because their editorial line was critical of the government. Restrictions on covering incidents happening on the street have resulted in the detention of journalists. In January 2019 alone, 20 members of the press were detained for the coverage they were carrying out.
Officials have normalized obstacles for journalists carrying out their work, or for recording incidents of public interest, especially when these officials are involved in the repression or violation of human rights. These limitations force Venezuelans to use the Internet in order to have access to information. However, Venezuela has the slowest Internet speed in the region, at only 2 Mbps. So the same obstacles we were seeing with journalism we have started to see online—there are digital blocks, massive blocks against social media on days when there are protests. There have also been detentions for publishing information online. In 2018, 23 people were detained, and there have been 53 people detained since 2009.
These are examples of the threats we have been able to record. This threatens the free distribution of ideas and information, and it generates self-censorship in people because they are afraid of the consequences. Currently, most people in Venezuela don't know what is happening in the moment. The lack of space for information and the disinformation spread by government increase uncertainty and diminish informed public debate, which is necessary to overcome the crisis and to recover democratic institutions.
An example that is important to mention is that yesterday the journalists in Univision had an interview with the president. They were detained and all the information they had obtained has been deleted. Last night they were told they would be deported.
Thank you very much.