ORDER OF THE INTER-AMERICAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS OF APRIL 15, 2010 REQUEST FOR PROVISIONAL MEASURES SUBMITTED BY THE INTER-AMERICAN COMMISSION ON HUMAN RIGHTS REGARDING VENEZUELA MATTER OF BELFORT ISTÚRIZ ET AL. HAVING SEEN: 1. The brief of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (hereinafter “the InterAmerican Commission” or “the Commission”) of February 26, 2010 and attachments, whereby it submitted to the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (hereinafter “the InterAmerican Court,” “the Court,” or “the Tribunal”) a request for provisional measures pursuant to Article 63(2) of the American Convention on Human Rights (hereinafter “the American Convention” or “the Convention”) and Rule 27 of the Court’s Rules of Procedure1 (hereinafter “the Rules”) so that the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela (hereinafter “the State” or “Venezuela”) protect the right to freedom of expression of Raiza Elizabeth Istúriz de Belfort, Nelson Enrique Belfort Istúriz, Antonio José Belfort Istúriz, Zayra Adela Belfort Istúriz, and Luis Miguel Belfort, as well as William Echeverria, Beatriz Alicia Adrián García, Leopoldo Castillo Atencio, and María Isabel Párraga (hereinafter “the proposed beneficiaries”) “keeping the radio stations of the ‘Belfort National Circuit’ on the air after having been closed by the authorities during the pendency of this matter in the InterAmerican System.” The stations that make up this circuit include Caraquenian Radio (in Caracas), Falconian Radio (in Punto Fijo), Máxima Junín (in Rubio), Zulian Radio (in Maracaibo), and Valencian Radio (in Valencia). 2. The facts alleged by the Commission as forming the basis for its request for provisional measures, to wit: a) “[o]n July 3, 2009, the Ministry of Housing and Public Works indicated[,] after announcing the beginning of a democratization process for the radio-electric spectrum and the need to halt those media outlets seeking to destabilize Venezuela, that the National Telecommunications Commission (hereinafter “CONATEL”) would take steps to bring about the possible revocation of concessions awarded to 240 radio stations who were not following the law. This announcement was followed by the decision to order the suspension of transmission for 34 stations, five of which were part of the ‘Belfort National Circuit’”; b) “[t]he administrative order to close the five aforementioned stations was adopted over the course of an ‘information update’ procedure set in motion by CONATEL. This process began on May 25, 2009 when CONATEL issued Administrative Ruling No. 1419 [whereby updated information was 1 Approved by the Court in its LXXXV Regular Session held from November 16-28, 2009.