We believe that the decision of the Venezuelan
government not to renew the broadcasting licence of RCTV when it expires on May
27 is legitimate given that RCTV has used its access to the public airwaves to
repeatedly call for the overthrow of the democratically elected government of
President Hugo Chávez.
RCTV gave vital practical support to the
overthrow of Venezuela's
elected government in April 2002 in which at least 13 people were killed. In the
47 hours that the coup plotters held power, they overturned much of
Venezuela's
democratic constitution - closing down the elected national assembly, the
Supreme Court and other state institutions.
RCTV exhorted the public to take to the streets
and overthrow the government and also colluded with the coup by deliberately
misrepresenting what was taking place, and then conducting a news blackout. Its
production manager, Andrés Izarra, who opposed the coup, immediately resigned so
as not to become an accomplice.
This is not a case of censorship. In
Venezuela
more than 90% of the media is privately owned and virulently opposed to the
Chávez government. RCTV, far from being silenced, is being allowed to continue
broadcasting by satellite and cable.
In
Venezuela,
as in Britain, TV
stations must adhere to laws and regulations governing what they can broadcast.
Imagine the consequences if the BBC or ITV were found to be part of a coup
against the government. Venezuela
deserves the same consideration.
Yours,
• Tariq Ali,
• Tony Benn,
• Colin Burgon MP,
• Julia Buxton, academic,
• Ruyuyyah Collector, Black Students’ Officer, National
Union of
Students,
• Jeremy Corbyn MP,
• Jon Cruddas MP,
• Megan Dobney, Regional Secretary, SERTUC
• Billy Hayes, General Secretary, CWU,
• Gordon Hutchison, Secretary,
Venezuela
Information Centre,
• Kelvin Hopkins
MP,
• Chris Martin, Director, The War on Democracy
• Joni McDougall, International Solidarity Officer, GMB,
• Gerry Morrissey, General Secretary, BECTU (Broadcasting
Entertainment
Cinematograph and Theatre Union)
• Kaveh Moussavi, Head of the Public Interest Law Programme at University
of
Oxford’s Centre for
Socio-Legal Studies.
• John Pilger,
• Harold Pinter
• Professor Jonathan Rosenhead, LSE,
• Keith Sonnet, Deputy General Secretary, UNISON,
• Hugh O'Shaughnessy, writer and journalist,
• Rod Stoneman, Executive Producer, The Revolution Will Not Be
Televised,
• Jon Trickett MP,
• Gemma Tumelty, President, National Union of
Students,
• Cllr Salma
Yaqoob.
