receive, and disseminate information and ideas of all kinds established in Article 13 of the American Convention. Among the reported facts that were particularly harmful to the petitioners, the following are recounted: On January 20, 2002, reporter Luisiana Rios together with Javier García; Isnardo Bravo; David Pérez Hansen met to cover the program “Aló Presidente,” which is usually transmitted by President Hugo Chávez Frías every Sunday by radio and television from the Cajibal Observatory. The vehicles arrived in the area with markings identifying the respective networks and, when the reporter stepped out, groups of approximately 50 persons surrounded the vehicle and proceeded to bang on it, kick it, and shout expletives. These persons wore T-shirts marked “Coordinadora Simón Bolívar.” At that time, Javier García; Isnardo Bravo; David Pérez Hansen and cameraman Luis Augusto Contreras Alvarado were also threatened and physically attacked. On April 18, 2002, reporter Luisiana Ríos was subjected to verbal abuse at the Miraflores Presidential Palace, where she was covering her source, Army Captain José Rodrigo García Contreras. On May 2, 2002, Luisiana Rios was verbally assailed by sympathizers of the so-called Bolivarian Circles, receiving with such threats as “we’re going to kill you, dirty dog, rat, trash talker, conspirator, traitor to the country.” These threats were issued while the reporter was covering Mr. Pedro Carmona’s appearance before the parliament. On May 28, 2002, at the residence where Ms. Rios lived, when she was leaving for work (5:00 a.m.), a vehicle was parked blocking her car. Seeing that, she went to the Concierge to ask in which apartment the person who had blocked her car was staying and with whom Ms. Rios had had the incident described earlier. Ms. Rios was told that the person was in apartment 19 of my building, which belonged to Mr. Federico Carmine, and that the man who had caused the problem was his son-in-law Hernán, who did not live there. Rios reported that Hernán had written a note, which was stuck on my door. The note urged reporters to have me removed otherwise he himself would take charge of notifying the “Vega Warriors” (Bolivarian Circles). The reporter noted that this was the third incident involving the Carmine family, Federico Carmine, Nicolás Carmine and Hernán, Mr. Carmine’s son-in-law, who had been urged to occupy her space or block her path in the parking lot, repeatedly causing incidents of malicious damage, such as scratches on the vehicle. On March 12, 2002, Isnardo Bravo and David Perez Hansen, among others, reported various and frequent attacks they suffered, especially around the Central university of Venezuela, by persons identifying themselves, as members of the M-28 (Tomistas, activists close to the Government). These attacks were also related to their coverage of the people’s courts led by Attorney Alfonzo Cancino of the Lina Ron Bolivarian Circles. On March 24, reporter Isnardo Bravo suffered verbal abuse while covering a demonstration outside the National Assembly. On April 3, 2002, at the headquarters of the Social Security Institute, Isnardo Bravo; Wilmer Marcano; Winston Gutiérrez were stoned, doused with buckets of water, and threatened with a beating with chains while covering a demonstration. On April 10, 2002, Isabel Mavarez was hit in the face with a blunt object, requiring immediate medical assistance, while she was covering the news at the PDVSA headquarters in Chuao. On December 17, 2001, reporters Javier García and David Pérez Hansen were wounded with stones and issued death threats in the environs of the UCV, while reporting in the streets. 7