Marcel Granier is a Venezuelan journalist, media entrepreneur, and advocate of press freedom. He is the president and CEO of Empresas 1BC and the former general director of Radio Caracas Televisión (RCTV), which was the oldest and most-watched television channel in Venezuela until it was forced to close by the Venezuelan government in 2007. For decades, Granier was host of “Primer Plano,” a political talk show with millions of viewers. When Hugo Chávez came to power in Venezuela, Granier and his television network were frequently attacked and challenged by the president, who described the station and its employees as “fascists” and “coup-plotters” for their criticism of the government. Without a legal proceeding, RCTV’s frequency was cancelled by the government in 2007. In 2014, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) submitted an amicus brief with the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACHR) on behalf of Granier and RCTV. In 2015, the IACHR decided in favor of Granier and RCTV and ordered the Venezuelan state to restore the RCTV broadcast license and return all assets. “Thanks to this ruling, high ranking officials who stigmatize their opponents in the court of public opinion, while also using subservient courts to give the appearance of legality to their overt abuses, will no longer be able to escape international justice,” said Javier El-Hage, chief legal officer of HRF. Through Empresas IBC, RCTV continues to broadcast via cable and the Internet. The Council on Foreign Relations identified RCTV as “the most important independent television station in Venezuela”. Through interviews, public speaking and his work as a journalist, Granier continues to expose what he calls a “humanitarian crisis” in Venezuela.