TV station attack: Venezuela's "comprehensive assault" on free speech?
MEXICO CITY 鈥� The battle between supporters and critics of Venezuelan President Hugo Ch谩vez spilled over onto the grounds of a popular Venezuelan TV station on Monday when pro-Ch谩vez activists invaded the main offices of and set off tear gas.
The private station, which has often been critical of Ch谩vez, carried footage from the incident (some of the incident can be seen . The attack was criticized by groups worldwide, including the . The event at Globovision occurred after the government over the weekend, citing regulatory issues. Critics said the closures were to silence critical reporting. Globovision itself has been subject of .
Last week, Venezuela鈥檚 attorney general introduced draft legislation on 鈥溾�� that could, among other things, mean prison sentences for up to four years for those who provide 鈥渇alse鈥� information that harms the interests of the state.
鈥淲hat we are witnessing is the most comprehensive assault on free speech in Venezuela since Ch谩vez came to power,鈥� Jos茅 Miguel Vivanco, Americas director at Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. 鈥淲ith the exception of Cuba, Venezuela is the only country in the region that shows such flagrant disregard for universal standards of freedom of expression.鈥�
Nevertheless, the . 鈥淚n the name of the Bolivarian government, we firstly want to condemn this attack energetically and reject this type of violent action against Globovision,鈥� Interior Minister Tareck El Aissami said on the state television channel VTV. 鈥淲e don鈥檛 accept that violence be the instrument to solve our differences.鈥�
The Ch谩vez administration has given more space to community radio stations and trained local communities to be empowered through technology, as the Monitor reported earlier this year. But many worry that Ch谩vez's true objective is to promote his socialist revolution and stifle dissent.
