Venezuelan journalist is convicted of illegal gains but vows to run for office

Venezuelan journalist is convicted of illegal gains but vows to run for office

A court in western Venezuela has sentenced TV host and blogger Gustavo Azócar to two years and six months in prison for illegal enrichment but will allow him to serve that sentence while on probation. Azócar was permitted to leave the prison where he had been held since July 2009 and must appear in court every eight days, the AFP news agency, and El Universal report.
The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) reports that Azócar was convicted on retaliatory charges.
Azócar, an outspoken critic of the Chávez administration, may continue to conduct his news and commentary TV program about politics in Táchira state but is barred from moving or from leaving the country, El Universal and La Opinión (Colombia) say. He was accused of irregularities in the signing of a 2000 advertising contract between the state lottery and the private radio station where he was working at the time, CPJ explains.
Azócar is running for Sept. 26 parliamentary elections as a a candidate of the opposition coalition. Venezuela's government news agency says he is barred from seeking or holding a political office for the duration of his sentence, but according to his lawyer, Azócar plans a vigorous appeal, and the possibility that he will be barred from political activities for the sentence will only be determined when the sentence is finalized, El Nacional explains.
Meanwhile, Azócar tells Union Radio that his treatment is similar to that the Chávez administration has given to other dissidents, including last week's arrest of TV executive Guillermo Zuloaga. See also the story in El País: "Expressing opinions is a grave offense in Venezuela."
In a separate story, Venezuela's Supreme Court has banned a lawmaker who is an outspoken critic of President Hugo Chávez from speaking with news media about a case in which he is accused of striking a police official, the Associated Press reports.
Wilmer Azuaje was arrested last week after a police official accused him of verbally abusing and physically striking her during an argument while picking up a car that had been stolen from his mother and recovered by police, AP says.
He was released from police custody but ordered to appear in court every 15 days while awaiting trial and banned from leaving the country. In a rare step, the National Assembly lifted Azuaje's immunity from prosecution as a lawmaker, AP adds.
"Azuaje, a former supporter of the president, has denied any wrongdoing, saying the charges against him are politically motivated for his criticism of the Chavez and his family," AP adds.
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Ecuador journalist sentenced to three years for insulting official

A judge ordered Emilio Palacio, opinion editor of El Universo newspaper, to serve three years in prison and pay $10,000 in legal costs for insulting the director of the government's National Financial Corp., the Associated Press reports. Palacios called the ruling an example of "total concentration of power" and said he would appeal, the AP and El Universo say.
"The case centered on an Aug. 27 editorial that made fun of official Camilo Saman for supposedly sending bodyguards to the newspaper to complain about a news story," AP says. "While a group of people did show up objecting to the article, Saman's guards were not there."
Ecuador's press has criticized the ruling, and Palacio has said political motivations are behind it. The Spanish version of this post links to other criticisms of the ruling by Ecuadorian media.
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GUYANESE DAWN WALKER ACCEPTS NYCHA POST


From Bevan Springer
New York Amsterdam News

NEW YORK (April 1, 2010) - Guyanese communications professional Dawn Skeete Walker, who previously served as a deputy press secretary for Mayor Michael Bloomberg, has been appointed to lead the New York City Housing Authority's (NYCHA) new Office of Public-Private Partnerships.
Dawn Skeete Walker accepts new post.
Photograph available at:
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dgsbbfz_2195d2vcthcs

Walker is a veteran communicator who has chalked up extensive experience in public and community relations, marketing, events management, and media relations. In her new job, she is responsible for managing key relationships with external stakeholders, and creating an outreach and development strategy for future public-private partnerships, foundations and not-for-profit institutions, including the implementation of a comprehensive fundraising strategy for NYCHA.

The newly established Office is part of NYCHA's commitment to foster collaboration between the public and private sectors, as well as with NYCHA residents.

"The Office of Public-Private Partnerships is part of NYCHA's overall mission to identify and recruit partners from the private sector who share the Authority's vision for improving the lives of its 400,000 residents," explains NYCHA Chairman John Rhea. "Through this effort, led by the very capable expertise of Dawn Walker, NYCHA will launch a new period of civic engagement by effectively linking the work of the non-profit and philanthropic sectors to our efforts to enhance the educational, economic and social needs of our public housing residents." He added, "We hope to develop, build and sustain diverse funding sources that ultimately will enhance the quality of life and opportunities for NYCHA residents."

The Authority recently announced partnerships with Habitat for Humanity-NYC and the Harlem Children's Zone. Early childhood education and health, workforce development and reaching disconnected youth are particular areas of focus for NYCHA, and these efforts are expected to be strengthened with expanded public-private collaboration.

Walker, a native New Yorker with distinctive Caribbean roots, has a strong and diverse background in the corporate, nonprofit and public sectors, with particular skills in relationship management and coalition building. She has been Director of Strategic Partnerships for the New York City Department of Youth and Community Development; Director of Communications, Media and Public Relations with the YMCA of Greater New York; Director of Public Relations of the Girl Scout Council of Greater New York; Director of Communications of Food for Survival Inc. - the New York City Food Bank. On the corporate side she has held communications positions with Moody's Investor's Service/FIS Group; Citicorp Futures Corporation; and Consolidated Edison Company of New York Inc.

As Director of the Office of Public-Private Partnerships, she also is the primary liaison to the Mayor's Fund to Advance New York City to develop fundraising strategies and targets to support key programmatic initiatives. The Fund relies on support from foundations, corporations and individuals to help strengthen public programs like those of NYCHA.
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