Free RCTV

RCTV was shut down on midnight of Sunday, May 27, 2007, after nearly a year of threats and attacks on the station by the Venezuelan government.

On June 14, 2006, the Venezuelan president declared that he was not going to renew the licenses of certain television stations, particularly those controlled by the "oligarchy" that opposes the government. On January 10, 2007, the president declared that RCTV’s months in operation were numbered and nothing would stop him from not renewing RCTV’s operating license. The license was set to expire on May 27, 2007. (This date is based on the previous license issued, which, according to the government, was issued on May 27, 1987. According to Marcel Granier, the president of RCTV, the license was actually not supposed to expire until 2020.)

RCTV had been broadcasting since 1953 and was one of Venezuela’s oldest and largest independent media companies. Many journalists have been targeted, and silenced, by the Venezuelan government due to their critical commentary about the administration. The president and his supporters accuse RCTV of being both "fascist" and "coup-plotters."

Venezuela has no history of not renewing broadcast licenses, and the government’s decision to do so was clearly political; RCTV was strongly critical of the current government (as it had been critical of many governments in the past) and had frequently sided with the opposition movement against the government. Government figures often state that RCTV’s coverage on April 11 immediately after the forced resignation of President Chávez and the coup that followed was biased and not supportive of the president. However, the administration has failed to levy specific charges against RCTV for its alleged involvement in the coup.

The Chávez administration shutting RCTV down by removing its license is equivalent to the Bush administration ordering CBS to stop broadcasting—a morally deplorable, unambiguous act of dictatorial control. By flouting international pressure on behalf of freedom of speech, the Venezuelan government has behaved in a dictatorial manner and violated its own constitution as well as numerous international treaties signed by Venezuela.

RCTV was denied the right to defend itself in courts due to the government’s failure to issue legal proceedings or inform through official channels the reasons for the non-renewal of its broadcast license. The government also failed to inform RCTV, within the timeframe and mechanisms established by law, that its license would not be renewed. Due process was not followed and, as telecommunications minister Jesse Chacon has stated, the decision was taken by the president on political grounds disregarding all other considerations. Unfortunately, Venezuela is a country where the judicial and legislative powers are subservient to the designs of the president, a fact denounced by HRF’s sister organizations and corroborated by these two powers in frequent public rallies and events.

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