By R. Renee Yaworsky
Impunity Watch Reporter, South America

CARACAS, Venezuela—Public debate in Venezuela is again in jeopardy after the creation of a new governmental office.  The office, formed by controversial President Hugo Chavez, may silence opposition in a country already stifled under censorship.

The Center for Situational Studies of the Nation (Centro de Estudio Situacional de la Nacion) emerged after Chavez issued a presidential decree on June 1 of this year.  The Center was given a high degree of discretion and can limit public dissemination of “information, facts or circumstance[s]” that it determines should be “reserved, classified or of limited release.”

The Center, a part of the Ministry of the Interior and Justice, has been given the power to “compile, process and analyze” information from governmental entities and civil society  “regarding any aspect of national interest.”

Chavez recently launched criminal investigations into human rights organizations working in the country and accused such groups of being funded by the United States.  Any information considered capable of compromising “the security and defense of the nation” will now be subject to criminal prosecution under the Venezuelan National Security Law.

Human Rights Watch, a New York-based group, has been critical of the Center.  The group’s director of the Americas, Jose Miguel Vivanco, called attention to Venezuela’s official efforts to silence critics and human rights defenders.  He said that Chavez “has created a new tool for controlling public debate in Venezuela.  The new decree would allow the president to block the discussion of topics that are inconvenient for his government, blatantly violating the rights of expression and to information, which are at the heart of a democratic society.”

Human Rights Watch believes that the Center may lead to more restrictive legislation.  A broad clause in Chavez’s decree states that laws or other norms determined by the government may grant the Center even more expansive powers to block information sharing.  The American Convention on Human Rights, of which Venezuela is a party, prohibits censorship of this kind.

Chavez has shut down several independent media outlets, and recently took control of the last remaining opposition TV station, Globovision.  He now has plans to disrupt Vale TV, a Catholic channel which the Archdiocese of Caracas has operated since 1998.  “I have ordered a review [into Vale TV] so that we can repossess the channel and put it at the service of the nation,” Chavez said.  Vale TV, a non-profit station, issued a statement saying “editorial independence” and “plurality” is at stake.

For more information, please see:

UPI-Human Rights Watch: Venezuela government office muzzling critics-23 July 2010

CNA-Venezuelan president aims to shut down Catholic television channel-23 July 2010

AP-Rights Group Criticizes New Venezuela Info Office-22 July 2010

The Western Star-Rights group concerned about new Venezuela gov’t agency that will monitor information-21 July 2010