Eleven Venezuelan journalists held and forced to leave the country as the press “remains under curfew”

Reporters Without Borders today condemned targeted censorship by the de facto Honduras government against Venezuelan public television channels Venezolana de Televisión (VTV) and Telesur, which had 11 journalists detained then forced to leave the country, on 13 July. “The detention and departure of these journalists is yet another step in the selective news blackout that has been imposed since the military coup”, the worldwide press freedom organisation said. “Even though the curfew has been officially lifted since 13 July, it is still being applied to media supposedly hostile to the de facto government. This episode also sends a very bad signal to the foreign press that has been under tight control since the 28 June coup. Foreign ministries would do well to make an issue of this with the de facto government,” it added. The journalists held by the Honduran police while returning to their hotel on the night of 12 July, Adriana Sivori, María José Díaz, Larri Sánchez, Eduardo Silvera, Pedro Quezada, Franklin Maldonado, Madelein García, Alexander Salazar, Hedor Lanten, Clayban Saint and Fredy Quintero, from Telesur and VTV, were told to await the arrival of immigration officials, who never appeared. The journalists said they were insulted and threatened with death, before being released four hours later. They then left the country. Against a background of very marked media polarisation, two versions have been circulating about the incident, some media claiming that the journalists “left the country”, while others condemned their “expulsion”. In any event, both channels, fully committed to the cause and person of Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez, were targeted by the government for this reason. Telesur in Honduras had its broadcasts blacked out, as did CNN in Spanish, from 28 June onwards. Telesur journalists Adriana Sivori, María José Díaz and Larri Sánchez, de Telesur, were detained by the military. (Photo : AFP)