Open Letter from Venezuela Re: Closing of RCTV

We, artists, writers, poets, cultural promoters, actors and actresses; men and women united by the values of the freedom of creation, manifest to national and international public opinion our great alarm regarding the imminent annexation of a new TV station to the asphyxiating official media monopoly that is gradually being consolidated in the country.

We want to denounce this disgrace. It is not our intention to add reasons to the arguments that until now have been fruitlessly brought to the attention of the Executive Power from various sectors of national life requesting the cessation of the measure to close RCTV and respect towards constitutional principles and the present laws that consecrate plurality of thought and freedom of expression as an undeniable base of our democracy.

We want to lift our firm and decided voice of solidarity with a feeling that is, without a doubt and without distinguishing between political preferences, shared by the great majority of Venezuelans.

In Caracas, on the twenty-sixth day of the month of May of two thousand seven.

Priscilla Abecasis
Aída Acuña
Ximena Agudo
Marco Aguilar
Yoyiana Ahumada
Miguel Albujas Dorta
Harry Almela
José Tomás Angola Heredia
Moira Angulo Inciarte
Sergio Antillano
Alexander Apóstol
Freddy Aquino
Carmen Araujo
Leonardo Aranguibel
Mariela Arismendi
Edda Armas
Dolly Armitano
Carolina Arnal
Yubiri Arráiz
Belkys Arredondo Olivo
Alberto Barrera Tyszka
Igor Barreto
Luz Marina Barreto
Guillermo Barrios
María Auxiliadora Barrios
Giuliano Bartolozzi
Analya Belisario
Waleska Belisario
Jaime Bello León
Paula Bevilacqua
Nicolás Blanco Colmenares
Ana Black
Alberto Blanco
Valerie Brathwaite
Soledad Bravo
Carolina Brewer
Berta E. Briceño de Tamayo
Luis Brito
Francisco Bugallo
Mariana Bunimov
Guadalupe Burelli
Yul Bürkle
Manuel Caballero
Irene Calcaño
Sary Calonge Cole
Colette Capriles
Amalia Caputo
Andrés Cardinale
Freddy Carreño
Maricarmen Carrillo
Adicea Castillo
Rafael Castillo Zapata
Altair Castro
Ana Caufman de Palenzuela
Jesús Caviglia
Israel Centeno
Eddy Chacón
Thais Chirinos
Sonia Chocrón
Isabel Cisneros
Armando Coll
Marylee Coll
Fabiola Colmenáres
Héctor Concari
Gloria Cuenca
Maruja Dagnino
Sergio Dahbar
Laura Dasilva de Yépez
Milagro De Blavia
Andreina Lazo de Delfino
Maitena de Elguezabal
Cecilia de Gunz
Ivanova Decán
Ana María Del Re
Carmen Alicia Di Pasquale
Audino Diaz
Jeannette Díaz
Bebsabé Duque
Ralph Erminy
Elsa Esté
Roldán Esteva Grillet
Iván Estrada
Ana Teresa Fábregas
Rosana Faria
Iván Feo
Magdalena Fernández
José Antonio Fernández
María Clara Fernández
Carlos Fernández Cuesta
Ana Luisa Figueredo
Carlos Flores León
Alicia Freilich
Claudia Furiati
Raquel Gamus
Gregorio García
Beatriz Gil
Jaime Gili
Dulce Gómez
Milagro Gómez de Blavia
Julieta González
Mercedes Elena González
Víctor Guédez
José Guerra C.
José Antonio Guevara
Moisés Guevara
Cristina Guevara Cruz
Rafael Guillén
Tomás Gunz
Arturo Gutiérrez Plaza
Patricia Guzmán
Katyna Henríquez Consalvi
Alberto Hernández
Oscar Hernández
Tulio Hernández
Alba R. Hernández Bossio
Adolfo Herrera
Gonzalo Himiob Santomé
Solveig Hoogesteijn
María Elena Huizi
Susy Igliki
Sofía Ímber
Luis F. Indriago
Consuelo Iranzo
Julio Iribarren
Verónica Jaffé
Ariel Jiménez
Ricardo Jiménez
Oliver Krisch
Trina Krispin
Gisela Kozak
Luis Miguel La Corte
Roberto Lamarca
Roberto Lampo
Luz Laride Duarte
Enrique Larrañaga
Alfredo Lascoutx
Juan Carlos Lazo
Javier León
Clementina Lepervanche
Eduardo Liendo
Martha Lluch
Rolando Loewenstein
María Teresa López
Pepe López
Antonio López Ortega
Oscar Lucien
María Elena Maggi
Anna Karina Manco
Josefina Manrique
Elsy Manzanares
Luis Manzo
Noemí Márquez
Joaquín Marta Sosa
Américo Martín
Marialejandra Martín
Mónica Martíz
Luis Alejandro Maryniok
Mónica Maryniok Zanoletty
Esperanza Mayobre
Ana María Mazzei
Bernardo Mazzei
Consuelo Méndez
Corina Michelena
Miguel Miguel
Octavio Montiel
Gustavo A. Mora Ciangherotti
Adolfo Morales
Jairo A. Morales
Marcela Navea
Marco Negrón
Vilma Obadía
Nela Ochoa
Ana María Olalde
Rafael Osío
Martha Pabón
Carlos Pacheco
Scarlet Pacheco
Julio Pacheco Rivas
Leonardo Padrón
Juan Páez Ávila
Gazniella Pagazani
Carlos E. Palacios
Federica Palomero
Yolanda Pantin
Valentina Párraga
Antonio Pasquali
Max Pedemonte
Rolando Peña
Luis Pérez Oramas
Juan José Pérez Rancel
Sagrario Pérez Soto
Amalyn Pérez-Díaz
Omar Phillips
Rhandy Piñango Pinto
Sandra Pinardi
María Esther Pino León
Lucía Pizzani
Nyrma Prieto
Adrian Pujol
Duiliana Pulgar
Yenis Pulio
Josefina Punceles de Benedetti
Antonio Quintero
Inés Quintero
Valentina Quintero
Cristina Raffalli
Vilma Ramia
María Ramírez Ribes
María Elena Ramos
Carla Redondo
Eleonora Requena
Ana Isabel Reyna
Raquel Ríos Castro
Ivonne Rivas
Luz Marina Rivas
Nelson Rivera
Jonder Rivero
Tahía Rivero
Inirida Rodriguez
Fernando Rodríguez
Odoardo Rodriguez
Gisela Romero
José Rosas Vera
Bela Rosemberg
Elizabeth Safar
Jacinto Salcedo
Marisabel Sanchez
Luisa Elena Sánchez
Ana Luisa Sánchez
Antonio Sánchez García
Rafael Santana
Tania Sarabia
Nila Sareet
Nancy Serrano
Carolina Siefken
Héctor Silva Michelena
María Cristina Silva-Díaz
Raquel Soffer
Beatriz Sogbe
Edward Sosa
Mariángeles Soto-Díaz
Alberto Spinetti
Patricia Suárez
Pedro Tagliafico
Lihie Talmor
Lucero Tamayo
Iraida Tapias
Pedro Terán
Alonso Toro
Carolina Toro
José Toro Hardy
Ana Teresa Torres
Isabel Urbaneja
Eric Urbina
Alejo Urdaneta
Orlando Urdaneta
Clementina Vaamonde
Patricia van Dalen
Toña Vegas
Yolisbeth Velarde
Henrique Vera
Anabeli Vera Marín
María Marcela Vethencourt Koifman
Adriana Villanueva
Benjamín Villares
Gladys Villarroel
Gisela Viloria
Fernando Wamprechts
Marina Wecksler
Carmen Cristina Wolf
José Luis Yépez Torres
Pedro León Zapata
Manuel Zapico
Luis Zelkowicz
Julia Zurilla


El Nacional, May 26, 2007