From a TV Set to Prison: Gustavo Azócar is “Caracas Nine” Dissident #6

CARACAS, Venezuela (January 13, 2010) – The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) published a report today detailing the case of Gustavo Azócar, a journalist and university professor in the state of Táchira who, since 2000, has been the target of a criminal investigation fraught with violations of his fundamental rights. His is the sixth case in HRF’s “Caracas Nine” campaign.

“Gustavo Azócar is in prison for political reasons. Venezuelan journalists are persecuted and harassed for expressing criticism of the government. In the last ten years, the State has opened more than 150 legal proceedings against journalists and threats against freedom of the press continue to intensify,” stated Thor Halvorssen, president of HRF.

The Public Prosecutor’s Office formally accused Azócar of corruption in the fulfillment of an advertising contract between his company and the state lottery. His trial began in May 2009 and he was imprisoned at the end of July 2009 for allegedly violating the terms of his parole. His trial was annulled in October 2009, yet he remains in prison. 

“The Public Prosecutor’s Office began to investigate Azócar in late 2000, but changed gears halfway through the investigation, dropping the original complaint and substituting another, in a blatant attempt to get him,” continued Halvorssen. “By locking him up, the government is ridding itself of a formidable critic. Nine years of judicial and police investigation have turned up nothing. Azócar’s imprisonment violates many constitutional and procedural guarantees. We call on the Venezuelan authorities to release Gustavo Azócar immediately,” added Halvorssen.

Azócar’s arrest warrant was voided when a new judge in his case annulled his previous trial, since the provision that the journalist allegedly violated and the order for his arrest were both issued during the trial. According to Venezuelan law, any actions resulting from a trial that is annulled are automatically voided as well – but Azócar is still in jail. “Venezuela is the topsy-turvy land where a critic of the government can be arrested and tried, and when the trial is dismissed, he is kept in prison,” said Halvorssen. “His continued imprisonment is in part aimed at preventing his chances to run for a seat in the National Assembly this year.”

The irregularities in his trial are so egregious and alarming that Reporters Without Borders, the Committee to Protect Journalists, and the International Federation of Journalists have all called for his release. On November 2nd, 2009, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) held a special session to hear Azócar’s case. The results of its deliberations have not yet been made public.

Azócar is a journalist whose career spans more than 20 years and whose intrepid style has earned him many enemies in the Venezuelan government. During the 2000 gubernatorial elections, he penned a number of embarrassing exposés on Ronald Blanco La Cruz, the candidate from President Chávez’s party who eventually became governor. The journalist maintains that the legal suit against him originated in response to this work. During Blanco La Cruz’s tenure, Azócar accused him of corruption and blasted him for ignoring the presence of members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) in Táchira. The FARC is a terrorist organization whose mission is to use armed force to topple the government of Colombia.

In 2003, after a series of attacks that included an incident outside his residence where shots were fired at his vehicle, the IACHR issued precautionary measures on Azócar’s behalf. He also received numerous death threats via email, phone, and mail. Neither the local nor the national authorities complied with these measures.

The Caracas Nine campaign promotes awareness of human rights abuses and seeks legal protection for individuals persecuted and endangered by the Venezuelan government. The nine cases featured in the campaign are emblematic of the widespread human rights transgressions against those who openly criticize Venezuela’s government. Francisco Usón, whose case was the first taken up by HRF, was freed from prison on conditional release on December 24th, 2007 and, in November 2009, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights found the Venezuelan government responsible of violating his human rights.

For further information on the numerous Venezuelans who are being persecuted for dissenting from the government, please visit www.CaracasNine.com. To demand freedom for Venezuela’s political prisoners, please visit www.TellChavez.com.

HRF is an international nonpartisan organization devoted to defending human rights in the Americas. It centers its work on the twin concepts of freedom of self-determination and freedom from tyranny. These ideals include the belief that all human beings have the rights to speak freely, to associate with those of like mind, and to leave and enter their countries. Individuals in a free society must be accorded equal treatment and due process under law, and must have the opportunity to participate in the governments of their countries; HRF’s ideals likewise find expression in the conviction that all human beings have the right to be free from arbitrary detainment or exile and from interference and coercion in matters of conscience. HRF does not support nor condone violence. HRF’s International Council includes former prisoners of conscience Vladimir Bukovsky, Palden Gyatso, Václav Havel, Mutabar Tadjibaeva, Ramón J. Velásquez, Elie Wiesel, and Harry Wu.

Contact: Glenda Aldana, Human Rights Foundation, (+212)246.8486, info@thehrf.org

Read Gustavo Azócar’s case summary  here.

Read the full report on his case here.