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RCTV closing roundup: Protests go on amid Chavez threats

20:16 H | Topics: Controversia - Media - TV - Venezuela

Though RCTV went off the air over 48 hours ago, the media is still buzzing with stories about the end of Venezuela's oldest television network.

El Universal reports that the International Press Institute has condemned Venezuela for the closing, saying:

"IPI believes the decision to close RCTV has apparent political motivations and believes RCTV came under attack because of its critical stance vis-à-vis Venezuelan current situation," said IPI director Johann Fritz. "We urge both President Hugo Chávez and the relevant authorities to ensure that RCTV resumes broadcasts immediately."

The BBC reports that the street protests in Caracas go on while President Hugo Chavez issued an ominous warning to another news network, Globovision, for broadcasting coverage of the events:

"Enemies of the homeland, particularly those behind the scenes, I will give you a name: Globovision. Greetings, gentlemen of Globovision, you should watch where you are going," Mr Chavez said.

"I recommend you take a tranquiliser and get into gear, because if not, I am going to do what is necessary."

The Nicaraguan parliament also voted to officially condemn the closure, saying:

"The National Assembly, as the political expression of the Nicaraguan people, can never endorse any action to the detriment of freedoms and despise of human rights. Therefore, it condemns the shutdown of Radio Caracas Televisión," stated the resolution.

Fellow Central American country Panama remained neutral. Brazil's President Lula also remained tight-lipped.

The Inter American Press Association said today that they feared that the RCTV closing is just the beginning of a "domino effect" throughout Latin America.

And all this was just today. I'm sure that tomorrow will bring yet another slew of stories, as this controversy isn't going to go away anytime soon. We'll keep you updated.

Images via Cronica and Nacion.com

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• RCTV to go back on the air...on cable (Friday, Jul 13 2007)