For those working on human rights, access to reliable data has become an extremely important tool. James Ron and his colleagues have stressed the importance of data-driven conclusions, while activists covering issues from LGBTIQ+ rights in southeastern Europe to democracy in Myanmar are finding ways to use research to bolster their advocacy and human rights efforts. Indeed, claims supported by data and meticulous research better resonate with tech-savvy, discerning audiences. In a world where barriers to information are minimal—anyone with an Internet connection can spread (and read) false claims—quality of information is more crucial than ever.
In Venezuela, freedom of expression and the press under Nicolas Maduro has particularly suffered. Despite already tight media restrictions in the country, the Maduro regime has cracked down even further on journalists and dissidents over the past six months. As protests regarding shortages and soaring crime rates have become more common, so has repression of the media. Remaining independent news outlets have reported multiple instances of harassment, especially of journalists covering protests. Perhaps the most disturbing account of violence happened last June, when a group of armed thugs, allegedly Chavista supporters, held a news team for the online channel VIVOPlay at gunpoint in broad daylight.
One “popular” form of authoritarian control of information is the vetting of socio-economic data. Despotic regimes tend to be adamant about controlling local researchers and academics. The Chavista regime, for example, was particularly sensitive to any information pertaining to Venezuela’s precarious economic situation, food and medicine shortages and soaring crime rates. Last year, the Bolivarian Intelligence Service (Servicio Bolivariano de Inteligencia or SEBIN) arrested the president of the Venezuelan Association of Clinics and Hospitals, Carlos Rosales Briceño, after he publicly denounced the scarcity of basic supplies for health centers. He was freed hours later after questioning. Murder rates and criminal activity statistics have also been restricted since 2004, and no data at all was provided for five years (from 2010 to 2015). Officials in state agencies have mentioned that the Maduro regime is deliberately engaging in actions that “destroy the national statistical system in order to hide the dire economic situation the country is facing”. The government routinely turns down access to information requests and there is no legislation obligating the government to share information with civil society. Indeed, The Economist even accused the government of self-censorship and of muzzling its own bureaucrats.
