Local view for "http://purl.org/linkedpolitics/eu/plenary/2007-05-24-Speech-4-149"
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"en.20070524.24.4-149"2
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".
Mr President, ladies and gentlemen, in Venezuela we are witnessing the classic phenomenon of the gradual concentration of authoritarian power. The Venezuelan Government often speaks of itself as the promoter of a revolution and we should therefore be asking whether that revolution is leading in a democratic direction or not. Unfortunately it is not.
Things are increasingly moving in the opposite direction to freedoms, fundamental rights, pluralism and social harmony. There are other worrying phenomena that I could mention in the political, constitutional, legislative, social and also, recently, military spheres. These events are worrying for all democrats, for the Venezuelan people's friends in the world and also for the large Portuguese community that lives and works in Venezuela.
We know that the Venezuelans have paid a high price to win democracy over the last fifty years, and we want it to be maintained. We also know that political and social stability is valuable for democracy, freedom and peace.
Today we are focussing on the
case and on the threat that it represents to freedom of expression, a universal fundamental right. I shall not go into details, but it was his Excellency President Chávez who, on 28 December, announced the decision to close down the broadcasts of
making extremely serious political accusations against it.
The competent authority did not issue the administrative act until three months later, on 28 March, and that act does not mention any of the serious accusations that the Venezuelan Embassy in Brussels has also communicated to us. None of these accusations have been brought before a court and the administrative act of the National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL) mentions other intentions involving the creation of a public service channel, in a process which, in our countries, we would consider illegal and arbitrary.
The mood has become more heated and we have seen people protesting against this decision in the streets. We also know from the polls that public opinion is against and we know that this is a political case, and, being a political one, it is therefore a bad case.
We are calling for the Rule of Law to be upheld and we are appealing for dialogue: dialogue and law. That is what is needed."@en1
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"Radio Caracas"1
"Radio Caracas Televisión"1
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The resource appears as object in 2 triples