TV station accused of trying to incite hit on Chavez
CARACAS, Venezuela (CNN) -- The Venezuelan government has opened an investigation into news broadcasters for allegedly inciting the Venezuelan public to violence over the government's decision not to renew the broadcast license of an opposition television station.
In a news conference and a posting Monday on the government's Web site, the communications minister, Willian Lara, described two incidents he said crossed the line: Globovision's "Citizen" program on Sunday followed an interview with the outgoing director general of the opposition station, Radio Caracas Television, with video showing images of the attempted 1981 assassination of Pope John Paul II.
As the video played, Ruben Blades -- a singer/social commentator -- can be heard singing, "This doesn't end here."
"The television company, in that specific fragment of its programming, committed the crime of inciting to assassinate -- in the person of the chief of state of Venezuela," Lara said, referring to leftist President Hugo Chavez. "That was the objective."
The program aired on Globovision, now the sole opposition station. RCTV had the nation's widest audience, counting 10 million of 26 million Venezuelans as viewers of its programming, which included soap operas as well as news.
Globovision's director, Alberto Ravell, said he was unimpressed. "We are not going to change our editorial line that we are not afraid of the threats from this government," he told CNN.
CNN slammed, too
Lara also criticized U.S.-based CNN for broadcasting video showing anti-government demonstrations, followed by images from Acapulco, Mexico, that showed protests against the death of a Mexican journalist and for juxtaposing Chavez with footage showing the body of an alleged al Qaeda leader and protests in China.
"CNN lies to Venezuela," he said, adding that he worries that journalism is being used "to present political propaganda under the guise of news, in a systematic manner."
In a joint written statement, CNN en Espanol and CNN International said they "categorically deny" the accusations.
"The reality is that upon being made aware of the video mix-up, CNN en Espanol aired a detailed correction and expressed regret for the involuntary error," the statement said.
About the complaint that CNN International tried to link Chavez to al Qaeda and China protests, CNN International Executive Vice President Tony Maddox denied, in a letter to the Venezuelan government, "any intention of associating President Chavez with al Qaeda or the China story," the network said.
"Unrelated news stories can be juxtaposed in a given program segment just as a newspaper page or a news Web site may have unconnected stories adjacent to each other."
Chavez announced in January that the government would not renew RCTV's license. He accused the station of supporting the failed 2002 coup against him and violating broadcast laws.
RCTV, which had been broadcasting for 53 years, was replaced by a state-run station -- TVes -- on Monday.
Demonstrators take to streets
On Monday, thousands of students from four colleges took to the streets of Caracas to make their complaints public.
"I think that, in Venezuela while Chavez is still in here, I don't know, I think we can't do our work," said Monica Herrero, a journalism student.
Sunday night, police used water cannons and tear gas to disperse crowds protesting the government's decision.
Eleven policemen were wounded, eight of them seriously, Attorney General Isaias Rodiguez said.
"To refuse to grant a new license for the most popular and oldest television channel in the country because the government disagrees with the editorial or political views of this channel, which are obviously critical to Chavez, is a case of censorship," said Jose Miguel Vivanco, executive director of Human Rights Watch.
"We have arrived at totalitarianism," said Marcel Granier, president of Empresas 1BC, which owns RCTV.
Granier accused Chavez of being "afraid of free thought, of opinion, of criticism."
Last week, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution condemning the move. Chavez has had prickly relations with Washington, referring to President Bush as "the devil."
Venezuela is the fifth-biggest source of oil for the United States, which imports more than 1 million barrels per day from the socialist nation.
CNN's Harris Whitbeck contributed to this report.