Dinorah Figuera Highlights Importance of SIP Report on Media Persecution in Venezuela

Dinorah Figuera, president of Venezuela's 2015 National Assembly, has received a significant report from the Inter American Press Association (SIP) that diagnoses the state of media communication in the country. The document was presented in Madrid by Miguel Henrique Otero, president and publisher of El Nacional and regional vice president for Venezuela of the SIP's Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information.

Figuera emphasized the report's importance, stating it will serve as crucial material for discussions on freedom of expression and constitutional guarantees. She announced that these discussions are scheduled to be incorporated into the agenda of a joint technical dialogue table in September. "I receive this report from Miguel Henrique Otero... which constitutes a very important diagnosis of the state of the media within the framework of the dialogue table on freedom of expression and constitutional guarantees, which will be established in September," Figuera stated on social media.

The SIP's report compiles information on media closures and restrictions against journalism from 1999 to August 2026. It details the shutdown of radio stations, the cessation of print newspapers, the blocking of news websites, and legal actions taken against journalists and media outlets, which the SIP argues have limited press freedom. Specifically, the report notes that at least 297 radio stations were closed between 2003 and 2023, and over a hundred newspapers ceased publication since 2013.

The objective behind delivering this report is to introduce these documented cases into the ongoing negotiation process between opposition representatives and the interim government. The goal is to explore mechanisms for restoring guarantees related to freedom of expression. Otero provided a physical copy of the main document and its conclusions, with annexes and supporting materials to be sent digitally to facilitate review during the talks. The SIP has proposed several measures, including a transparent registry of concessions and sanctions from the National Telecommunications Commission (Conatel), due process guarantees before media sanctions, the return of seized equipment, and a judicial review of internet blocking.

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I receive this report from Miguel Henrique Otero, regional vice president in Venezuela of the Committee on Freedom of the Press and Information of the SIP and president and publisher of El Nacional, which constitutes a very important diagnosis of the state of the media within the framework of the dialogue table on freedom of expression and constitutional guarantees, which will be established in September.