During my visit in 2005, there were disturbing signs that a once free and vibrant press was coming under increasing pressure to either censor themselves or face harassment.

The source of the problem is a series of government laws passed in 2004 and 2005. One, often found in countries with dictatorial regimes, expanded desacato, or disrespect provisions, criminalizing expressions considered "offensive" to public officials and state institutions and drastically increased penalties for libel and slander.

Another requires journalists to have "a degree from a government-accredited institution."

The third, put into effect Dec. 7, 2004, is the "Law on Social Responsibility in Radio and Television Broadcasting, known as "Ley Resorte" or "Rebound Law."

The practical effect of these laws was brought home to me during my visit in 2005 to GLOBOVISION, an all-news channel. The station was covering a "breaking news" story of two soldiers who burned to death in their cells when suddenly the screen went black. It seems continuing coverage would violate a provision preventing continuing coverage of a "report on violence." The government claimed the soldiers died from smoking in bed, though relatives insisted they were nonsmokers.

After an earlier similar incident, a medical examiner told the media those soldiers were killed by a blowtorch. He is now serving a five-year prison sentence for violating one of the new restrictive laws (Ley Resorte).

Crackdowns on a free press have often been the proverbial canary in the coal mine, foretelling reductions in political freedom to come. Let us hope for the people of Venezuela that will not be the case under the Chavez regime.