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ePaper created 2015-11-10, 17:27:36 | version 1.33.00
REDACTED Page 20 of 190 Seventhly, the GoV further implemented a policy of denying and covering up the crimes by restricting access to social media platforms, restricting media licenses of TV broadcast companies and blocking broadcasts reporting about the GoV’s involvement. The National Telecommunications Commission of Venezuela (Comisión Nacional de Telecomunicaciones de Venezuela, CONATEL) and the Social Accountability in Radio and Television Board (Directorio de Responsabilidad Social en Radio y Televisión) publicly criticized some media and indicated that their coverage violated the Social Accountability in Radio, Television and Electronic Media Act (Ley de Responsabilidad Social en Radio, Television y Medios Electrónicos), which stipulates that the media must not show images that condone violence or disturb public order. The GoV also politicised the protests painting them as acts organized merely by opposition leaders to destabilise the GoV in order to avert the international scrutiny of their response. In addition, despite the fact that in a majority of the cases documented by civil society organizations and victims, eyewitnesses, lawyers, and journalists, corroborated by video footage and photographs, the protests were peaceful, the GoV deliberately alleged that the protests were violent to justify their use of force as a first means of managing the demonstrations and the indiscriminate attacks against the unarmed demonstrators. Even in the few instances where small groups of individuals committed acts of violence, these were in most cases in response to the aggression of the national security forces and members of pro government armed paramilitaries and the protestors were unarmed, throwing stones or bottles, or burning vehicles while the militarised national security forces and members of the pro government armed paramilitaries confronted them with lethal weapons and non lethal weapons used disproportionately. The GoV’s cover up policy also included retaliation against several vicitms who reported the crimes. Members of judiciary, acting pursuant to the GoV’s policy ignored Zulia_5_381011901.html [Accessed 19 October, 2015]; SEIJAS, D. (2015) Colectivos Atacan sede de la ucsar por vista del Alcalde Ramón muchacho. Unidad. [Online] 10 June. Available from: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:H3sfQZmi5F4J:www.unidadvenezuela.org/ 2015/06/colectivos-atacan-sede-de-la-ucsar-por-presencia-de-alcalde-ramon- muchaco/+&cd=15&hl=es&ct=clnk&gl=uk [Accessed 19 October, 2015]; VENEZUELA AL DÍA. (2014) Allanan nuevamente sede de Voluntad Popular en Caracas. Venezuela al Día. [Online] 17 February. Available from: http://www.venezuelaaldia.com/2014/02/allanan-nuevamente-sede-de- voluntad-popular-en-caracas-video [Accessed 19 October, 2015]; LA PATILLA. (2014) Con bombas molotov atacan sede de AD. La Patilla. [Online] 13 March. Available from: http://www.lapatilla.com/site/2014/03/13/con-bombas-molotov-atacan-sede-de-ad/ [Accessed 19 October, 2015]; EL UNIVERSAL. (2014) Sebin allanó sede de las ONG "Un Mundo Sin Mordaza" y "Humano y Libre.” El Universal. [Online] 1 May. Available from: http://www.eluniversal.com/nacional-y-politica/140501/sebin-allano-sede-de-las-ong-un-mundo-sin- mordaza-y-humano-y-libre [Accessed 19 October, 2015]