State urged to let newspapers print

The Church has urged the Government in Caracas to act to prevent newspapers from closure. Shortages of imported paper mean dailies, such as El Nacional – Venezuela’s most widely read newspaper – have been forced to cut down their circulation, writes Jon Stibbs.

The Archbishop of Caracas, Cardinal Jorge Urosa Savino, warned the issue infringed constitutional rights. “It is necessary that the country has channels of communication able to report what is happening, and Venezuelans should enjoy the right to be informed,” he told the opening session of the Commission of the Venezuelan Episcopal Conference on 22 January.

Critics of the Government have accused it of attempting to stifle dissent. President Nicolas Maduro, like his predecessor, Hugo Chávez, has fought TV and radio companies by threatening to withdraw their licences; newspapers have largely retained their independence. Some Venezuelan publications are now only published online but internet use is limited by the cost of computers.