Persecution in Venezuela

Chávez backers protest TV station in Venezuela

Associated Press

CARACAS, Venezuela – Government supporters protested Monday outside the studios of Globovision, the only television station stridently against Hugo Chávez remaining on the open airwaves.

The protesters, riding motorcycles and waving the flags of the radical pro-Chávez party, tossed tear gas canisters at the station. The channel said some assailants fired shots at the studios in Caracas, and it broadcast video showing clouds of tear gas outside the building as employees ran for cover.

Globovision’s director, Alberto Federico Ravell, condemned the violence and urged Chávez to control his backers.

Justice Minister Tareck El Aissami also condemned “this violent action against a television channel” and said authorities were investigating.

The action came two days after 34 radio stations targeted by the Chávez government were forced off the air in what critics say is a campaign to muzzle his foes.

And, on Monday, one of Chávez’s leftist allies, Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa, announced that many radio and TV frequencies there will revert to the state over what he called irregularities in their licenses. He gave no specifics.

Globovision is facing multiple investigations that could force it off the air.

Chávez sends military to close radio-stations

Porto Alegre, August 22, 2008

The president of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez, sent soldiers to confiscate equipments from the radio-stations Rumbera Network and Llanera, both from Guarico. The radios now cannot broadcast. Chávez is acting in this state because the governor Eduardo Mannuit is a dissident from his government and his party, the PSUV (United Socialist Party of Venezuela). According to Chávez, the radios have political use.

Journalists from Paraguay dennounce bad treatment from Chávez´s security

Translated from Globovisión

Paraguayans journalists from many media groups dennounced that they got bad treatment by the members of the security of the presidente of Venezuela, Hugo Chávez. He was visiting Paraguay to talk with the president of the country, Fernando Lugo. The incident ocurred in San Pedro, 300 km from the capital of Paraguay, where the safe guards forbidden reporters and journalists to approach the venezuelan president.

“They made a human wall, they pushed us and hit us”, said Jorge Cañete, from ABC Color from Assunción. Aníbal from Radio Ñanduti and reporters from Diario Popular dennounced too that were victims of bad treatment from the Chavez´s safe guards.

RCTV asks for condemnation for Chávez at international court

Translated from Folha de São Paulo from August 8, 2008

Employees of RCTV (Radio Caracas Televisión) asked for the International Court of Human Rights for a condemnation for the government of Venezuela because of the attacks hostilities that suffered. The lawyer Carlos Ayala said that it´s a case of arround 20 victims, that from 2002 to 2005 were attacked by many 23 times, resulting for violent speeches that were not punished or investigated.

The venezuelan ambassador in the court, Germán Saltón, charged “insignificant” the number of attacks and a decision for RCTV would stimulate a “desetablishing action” in the media companies.

Venezuela: One year later, RCTV still can´t broadcast

by Luís Henrique Vieira

On last wednesday (07.30.2008), the RCTV (Radio Caracas Televisión) defeat again trying to get back the right to broadcast as an open signal company. The Supreme Court judged “improced” the measure from the venezuelan TV company.

RCTV is not broadcasting on open TV since May of last year, when the president Hugo Chávez did not allow to renew the license of the television. The reason was the politic opinion of the TV. Otherside, Chávez said the RCTV conspired against him.

With that, many people went to the street to complain about the president´s decision. RCTV was the most watch channel in the country and the signal was changed TVEs (Televisora Venezolana Social), which is the state TV and is considered kind of boring. It broadcasts just government´s subjects. RCTV is well-known as the TV of novels and reality shows.

Shuting up anyone

The censorship of Chávez is not for TV companies. He does not allow a concert from the spanish singer Alejandro Sanz last year. The reason: Sanz said the doesn´t like Chávez. The tickets were already sold out, but the president of Venezuela did not care about it. Sanz just said: “I don’t like President Chávez, I don’t like presidents of other countries either, and I don’t think my president has done a good job either.”

The singer reacted at a concert in Miami. He put a shirt that  that said Chávez Sucks. Were present thousands of latins in that concert.