“Reporters without borders” is one in Venezuela, three of the imprisoned journalists, more than in any other country in Latin America. One of them is the German Billy, Six.
The German Reporter Billy Six was without a warrant, on 17. November 2018, from the Venezuelan intelligence service SEBIN arrested. The German Embassy was able to contact him as recently as last week, for the first time on the phone.
Emmanuel Colombie, Director of the Latin America section of “reporters without borders” (RWB), said to DW, that there is, in the case of Six no news, “and is per se a bad message. I take it that negotiations are underway to set him free, but RoG has experienced neither by the German Embassy in Caracas from the Federal foreign office in Berlin details.” RoG-representatives who wanted to speak in the seat of the secret service, “El Helicoide” with Six, have had no success.
Emmanuel Colombie from reporters without borders
Colombie confirmed that the German Journalist had previously seen a lawyer and that his case was in the hands of a military Tribunal, as several Venezuelan professional associations had complained, shortly after his arrest. Not Colombie was able to confirm the rumor that Six should be convicted of espionage, Rebellion, and unauthorized access to a security zone. The Reporter, who works as a freelance Journalist, among other things, for the right-wing youth newspaper “Young freedom,” and the extremely conservative “Germany-the magazine”, but the accused seem to have been in the country illegally. In addition, he is said to have contacts with the already-defunct Colombian guerrilla organization FARC and the Venezuelan President, Nicolás Maduro, at a public appearance as a photographer to have approached. “Reporters without borders” got no access to files.
Discrete Diplomacy
“As a civilian, Six should not appear before a military court, so that Maduro violated various national laws and international agreements,” says the RoG-speaker and added: “the Six began a hunger strike, hoping to get a transparent treatment by the judicial system.” Ute and Edward, Six, his parents told the DW that almost all of his claims “on the path of fulfillment”. Yet he was not allowed to speak directly with his family, but with representatives of the German Embassy.
The Reporter Billy Six to close to him? President Nicolas Maduro here at his swearing-in in may 2018
The Foreign office confirmed on request of the DW that Six will advise the representative office in Caracas. The discretion of the German diplomacy was met with colleagues from Six, but also in Venezuela, in amazement. “Billy Six, is a German colleague. His government has not commented. What’s going on?” tweeted the Venezuelan correspondent Ibéyise Pacheco. Bastian Behrens, spokesman for the “young freedom”, suspected of intentional discrimination: “The public opinion in Germany has long been committed to the liberation of the journalist Deniz Yücel, from the Turkish prison. For Billy this was not previously the case. I think this is due to the fact that Billy for a Medium like ours to write.” Media like “der Spiegel” and “Süddeutsche Zeitung” had a message, with the help of the “Young freedom” wanted to make the “liberal and left-wing German press” on the case, not taken and the case reported, after “reporters without borders” have him taken up.
It is unclear whether the quiet handling of the case on the German side, has to do with legal problems in Six’ residence status.
Six “is capable of anything”
Behrens can’t exclude that completely, “Billy traveled in the order of the ‘Germany-magazine’, a journal of the ‘German Conservatives’, to Venezuela. I called your office and they have told me that Billy is legally.” The colleagues there would say “that foreigners would have to leave after a certain time the Venezuela, and a few months later, re-enter the country”, adds the spokesperson of the “young freedom”, and emphasized that he did not know whether Six have adhered to such rules.
Wanted Six of this year’s military parade reports from members assume
Peter Helmes, chief of correspondents of the “Deutschland magazine”, denies these statements: “Billy is not traveled in our mission to Venezuela. He has told us, that he’s going, and we have asked him, that he’s sending us reports from there, and he did. He has made this journey on their own Initiative. You have to know Billy to understand that He is not very independent, he likes it, other people in his plans.” And Helmes admits: “it May be that Billy was no longer in Venezuela than allowed, but I am quite open when I say that I know how he is. I know Billy, Six for ten years, he is capable of anything.”
The Venezuelan NGO “Espacio Público” indicates that Six is traveling by land from the Colombian city of Cúcuta, and indicates that the local authorities have presented no evidence that he did it illegally. Of German to be officially required only tourist visa, if you travel by ship or overland by private car. Nevertheless, the safety instructions the DW for your Reporter, for example, is a different approach. In the current Situation in Venezuela you advise to enter only with a visa, for security reasons, on the air, and to make it clear that you will be working as a Journalist.
Adventurous Experiences
According to family members, the accusations against Six relate to, among other things, to the fact that he is both at the military parades on the independence day of Venezuela on 5. July, in this and in the last year, as well as at a public event with supporters of the President had photographed.
On 5. March 2013 was liberated Six from Syrian detention – mediated by the then Russian Ambassador (on the left in the picture)
His colleague, Mr Behrens told the Reporter, in 2013 was in Syria in a similar Situation, but there for illegal entry twelve weeks in detention, was: “at that Time, the efforts of the foreign office were running well, because the Russians acted as an intermediary. In addition, Bashar al-Assad (Syria’s head of state, editor’s note. d. Red.) an interest to maintain good relations to Germany. In Venezuela, this seems to be more difficult.”
Regardless of the nature of the charges against him, Billy, Six, has a right to consular assistance from the German Embassy, which is not respected by Venezuelan side. According to the Vienna Convention on consular relations with Venezuela must allow him visits by representatives of the Embassy. Also a lawyer, he, however, needs to be in Venezuela, approved. An impact on the Venezuelan jurisdiction may take the German representation in any case.