Posts Tagged ‘Hugo Chavez’

Lukashenko’s Soviet mercenaries

September 5th, 2011

Belarus is Europe’s last dictatorship. Andrej Dynko explains how the country’s president Alexander Lukashenko retains his tight grip on power

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Chavez government takes stake in opposition broadcaster

July 22nd, 2010

Hugo Chavez’s government has taken control of a 45.8 per cent share of its biggest critic, Globovison. President Chavez has been involved in various actions against the independent press in the past. Since the acquiring the shares Chavez has declared that the Venezuelan government is in a position to nominate a member of the board of directors. The President of Globovision, Guillermo Zuloaga, currently faces arrest in Venezuela and resides in Miami. In response to the news he declared that Globovision will stay critical of the Chavez regime.

Chavez to start own blog

May 26th, 2010

Following the success of his Twitter account, Hugo Chavez has launched his own blog in order to increase his online presence. Chavez announced that he plans to publish transcripts of his speeches and articles, as well as a guest column by Fidel Castro. His Twitter account, which only began a month ago, has already more than 400,000 followers.

Chávez opponent not allowed to speak with media

March 30th, 2010

On 28 March, Wilmer Azuaje was banned by Venezuela’s highest court from speaking to the media about criminal charges alleging he struck a police official. The measure is meant to protect the “reputation, integrity and honour of the victim.” Azuaje, former Deputy of the National Assembly and an outspoken opponent of President Hugo Chavez, was detained on 25 March after prosecutors accused him of insulting a public official and breaking a law that prohibits violence against women. The National Assembly, which is dominated by allies of Chavez, lifted Azuaje’s immunity as a lawmaker from prosecution Friday — a rare step usually reserved for crimes such as corruption. He was later released on 27 March.

Chávez calls for internet control

March 17th, 2010

On 13 March, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chávez called for new internet regulations and demanded that authorities crack down on a news website he accused of spreading false information. Chávez claimed the Noticiero Digital website had falsely reporting that two of his political allies had been assassinated. Noticiero Digital acknowledged that the forum posts Chávez singled out contained rumors posted by site users but said it had removed them within hours. “The internet cannot be something open where anything is said and done. No, every country has to apply its own rules and norms,” Chavez said during his televised speech. He also cited German Chancellor Angela Merkel as having voiced similar sentiments recently.

Venezuela: dangerous territory

March 3rd, 2010


Hugo Chavez’s administration has once again come under fire for its record on freedom of expression and its treatment of journalists. But as the government refuses to acknowledge its shortcomings, is it also reneging on its commitment to international treaties on human rights, asks Daniel Duquenal
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Chávez, Ortega buy Nicaraguan opposition station

February 1st, 2010

Channel 8, a critical TV station with the government, has been bought by a consortium created by presidents Daniel Ortega and Hugo Chávez. Details of the transaction had been kept secret, and Ortega’s possible control of the channel raised concern this week about attempts to silence the opposition. Read more here

Arrests issued for attack on Venezuelan journalists

August 18th, 2009

A Caracas court ordered the arrests of two people allegedly involved in the attacks last week that left 12 journalists hurt when they were demonstrating in favor of freedom of expression. All of the journalists who were handing out leaflets to motorists and pedestrians on a busy street in the capital are employees of the Cadena Capriles group, one of Venezuela’s biggest media companies. Read more here