Press group says media freedoms are in danger

Press freedoms in Venezuela are "worsening" as the country moves toward its December presidential election.

The Inter-American Press Association (IAPA) released a report that describes how the Venezuelan government is slowly squeezing the opposition press, according to the BBC.

"A delegation from the Miami-based IAPA concluded a three-day visit to Venezuela, saying it had evidence of media workers being threatened or attacked by supporters of President Hugo Chavez," the BBC reports.

"The IAPA said the Venezuelan government was using the courts and legal reforms against journalists who were critical of it."

"The different branches of government appear to have a strategy to weaken the work of an independent press," IAPA President Diana Daniels told a press conference.

"We are worried that, far from improving press conditions in the country, freedom could be further restricted after the election."