Gunmen throw petrol bomb at opposition journalist's car

Reporters Without Borders today voiced deep concern about a Molotov cocktail attack by four gunmen yesterday on the car of opposition journalist Marta Colomina of the TV station Televén. Calling the attack reported by Colomina "extremely serious," the organisation urged the authorities to do everything possible to identify those responsible and their motives. Just hours after it happened, Colomina described the attack on her programme "La entrevista" on Televén. She said two vehicles tried to intercept hers as she drove to the TV station in the morning. Four gunmen leaped out of one of the vehicles and one of them threw a Molotov cocktail at her car. Fortunately, it did not explode. Yesterday was Journalists' Day in Venezuela and in Colomina's opinion, the attack was intended as a warning to all the opposition press. Colomina also works for Unión Radio and writes a weekly column for the daily El Universal. As Reporters Without Borders detailed in its last annual report, the press took a heavy toll from the political tension in Venezuela in 2002: one journalist was killed, around 50 were physically attacked, approximately 20 were threatened and six news organisations were targeted with explosives. The list is not exhaustive. The press paid the price of the growing polarisation between supporters and opponents of President Chávez. Journalists with the privately-owned news media headed the list of targets. There has been no let-up this year.