The Organization of American States' Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) accused Venezuela of censoring the country's media, EFE reported. The IACHR criticized the measures taken against the magazine 6to Poder, which was prohibited from circulating after it published a cover with several high-ranking female officials dressed as cabaret dancers,reported Globovisión.
The injunction against the magazine was eventually dropped but the Committee to Project Journalists expressed concern over the pending criminal charges against the executives of 6to Poder.
"These decisions are against the regional standards for freedom of expression and create an intimidatory environment, encouraging self-censorship," that affects the entire Venezuelan press, IACHR stated in a release.
The IACHR also referred to the case against the ex-governor of the state of Zulia and presidential candidate Oswaldo Álvarez Paz, who was sentenced to two years in prison in July 2011 for "distributing false information." The opposition politician accused Hugo Chávez's government of supporting drug trafficking in an interview with the television network Globovisión in March 2010.
