Chavez supporters attack Venezuela´s Globovision TV, as government shuts down radio stations

In Venezuela, a group of supporters of President Chavez attacked a Television station that is highly critical of the government.

Using clubs and tear gas, more than 20 members of the Venezuelan Popular Union forced their way into the Caracas headquarters of Globovision Monday.  Some threatened TV staff with guns and one policewoman was injured. The Venezuelan government condemned the incident calling on its supporters to wage their politics through peaceful means.  But Globovision President Guillermo Zuloaga blamed the government for the attack.

“They´re not only attacking us in the courts and in the national communications commission. Now these armed groups supported by the government come here to attack us with tear gas."

The physical attack on a media outlet follows government actions that many say will restrict freedom of the press. On Monday, the Venezuelan government revoked the licenses of 34 radio stations, claiming they had failed to comply with administrative procedures related to their licenses.  Many of these stations were critical of the government´s policies and opposition groups have called the move an assault against free speech.

Last week the Venezuelan government drafted a law on media crimes that would set prison terms for journalists whose stories “harm the interests of the state,” “cause panic,” or “disturb social peace.”   The United Nations and several prominent human rights groups have expressed their concerns about this law, with Human Rights Watch calling it a “recipe for censure. “

To learn more about this issue and the challenges faced by the media in Venezuela and other countries, FSRN spoke to Ernest Sagaga from the International Federation of Journalists. The IFJ represents the interests of some 600,000 journalists around the world and Sagaga is their communications and human rights officer.