Venezuela journalists' group urges inclusion of press freedom in opposition-government talks

Venezuela's National College of Journalists (CNP) has called for freedom of expression and the press to be included in the agenda for ongoing dialogue between a faction of the opposition and the ruling Chavista party. The CNP's board met with opposition representatives involved in the talks to advocate for these issues.

According to a union press release, an opposition commission, whose members were not identified, contacted the CNP two weeks ago. They held a meeting lasting about an hour and a half to discuss the state of freedom of expression and the ability to practice journalism freely in Venezuela. This engagement aims to bring the concerns of journalists into the formal negotiation space.

The current dialogue process, which began with a phone call on August 1, is led by National Assembly President Jorge Rodríguez and former opposition deputy Dinorah Figuera. Figuera supports the continuity of the National Assembly elected in 2015, which was previously controlled by the opposition. During their initial conversation, both sides agreed to address the strengthening of democracy and aid for victims of the magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 earthquakes that occurred on June 24.

The CNP's push for press freedom occurs within a challenging environment for journalists in Venezuela. The Venezuelan NGO VE Sin Filtro reports that at least 92 news websites are currently blocked nationwide. Furthermore, the CNP has documented aggressions against media workers by state security forces during their coverage of recent earthquakes, raising concerns about the safety and freedom of the press.