IACHR press release about proposed Internet censorship in Venezuela

[friendly_iconoclast]

http://www.cidh.oas.org/Comunicados/English/2010/122-10eng.htm

IACHR CONCERNED ABOUT LAW INITIATIVES IN VENEZUELA THAT COULD UNDERMINE THE EFFECTIVE EXERCISE OF HUMAN RIGHTS

PRESS RELEASE

N° 122/10

IACHR CONCERNED ABOUT LAW INITIATIVES IN VENEZUELA THAT COULD UNDERMINE THE EFFECTIVE EXERCISE OF HUMAN RIGHTS

Washington D.C., December 15, 2010 – The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and its Office of the Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Expression express their concern regarding three draft laws that could be approved in the next few days in Venezuela: an Enabling Law, and bills that would modify the laws on Telecommunications and on Social Responsibility in Radio and Television.....

....The draft laws prohibit all media outlets from issuing messages that “incite or promote hatred”, “foment anxiety in the citizenry” or “ignore the authorities”, among other new prohibitions that are equally vague and ambiguous. In addition, they establish that Internet service providers should create mechanisms “that enable the restriction of (…) the dissemination” of these types of messages and they establish the liability of such companies for the expressions of third-parties.


By holding service providers responsible and extending the application of vague and ambiguous norms that have been questioned by the IACHR and the Office of the Special Rapporteur in their report Democracy and Human Rights in Venezuela, the draft law targets freedom of expression on the Internet in an unprecedented fashion. The initiative includes ambiguous norms that sanction intermediaries for speech produced by third parties, based on assumptions that the law does not define, and without guaranteeing basic elements of due process. This would imply a serious restriction of the right to freedom of expression enshrined in the American Convention on Human Rights.....

Fill in the blank: When the US, China, Australia, and various EU countries do this sort of thing, it's bad.

If Venezuela were to do this, it would be < >.

Show your work....

[EFerrari]

1. There are a lot of countries, not ours, that have laws about hate speech.

And if the OAS is saying this, I'll pass.

It would be interesting to know what is really going on that the State Department feels is important enough to launch their "whatever sticks to the wall" attack Chavez machine.

[friendly_iconoclast]

3. Me too. Sadly, my Spanish isn't up to researching the issue.

Are the Venezuelans really considering these laws, or is the IACHR having us on?

Anybody out there with the language chops that can fill us in?

[social_critic]

4. Seems it could be the Great Fire Wall part three

The law as written will allow them to do it. The question is whether they'll do it. This is part of a package of laws to help the government control the media, the universities, and other matters. Another law gives the president the ability to rule by decree - in other words, a lame duck congress is delegating its law making powers to the president for a period which extends beyond its term (which expires in less than 30 days). But you know how it is in Latin America, they believe in flexibility.

I usually dislike to bring up the USA when discussing Latin America, but in the USA there's a creeping problem, something similar is happening in Venezuela although not to the same extent - because we managed to get Bush out and Obama in.

For example, Bush's claim to have the ability to void habeas corpus was a clear violation of the constitution and US law, his torture program was a war crime, and he could be executed as a war criminal in the future for doing what he did. Obama on the other hand has continued some of Bush's practices, which are clear violations of the law, and nobody seems to care much. I notice most Americans are pretty complacent about these problems. I guess it's human nature to do whatever whenever it's feasible, and worry about the consequences later. When I get the chance, I'll get back on my flying saucer and fly outta here, this planet is creepy.

[naaman fletcher]

6. So,

you would be for this law if it was proposed in the US?

[Bacchus39]

2. yeah, if they go after service providers for content on websites such as DU

then either websites will be dropped completely, or service providers won't service Venezuela. then they'll have a Cuba type internet service program.

[friendly_iconoclast]

5. UPDATE: Turns out it's the real deal:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=102x4666146

Chavez defends plan for Internet regulations