Venezuela in Crisis by Alexandra Beech

Dear Friends,

This is a really tough time for Venezuela. This afternoon, thousands of students are protesting the Chavez government's refusal to renew RCTV network's broadcast license. The measure attempts to silence one of the two remaining TV networks that doesn't support the Chavez government. According to venezuelatoday.net, " 10 of 12 TV signals with national coverage are controlled by the government comprising over 85% of the television spectrum in Venezuela. The government controls 36 television stations (directly or indirectly) and over 200 radio stations… "

In a speech today, President Chavez threatened to take measures against Globovision, the sole remaining TV network that doesn't broadcast Chavez-friendly news and information. ( http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/6699383.stm)

The government's decision has been condemned by many organizations and governments around the world, including:

- Reporters Without Borders
http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=20218)

- Human Rights Watch
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2007/05/22/venezu15986.htm)

- The Committee to Protect Journalists
http://www.cpj.org/protests/07ltrs/americas/ven24may07pl.html

- The United States Senate http://www.venezuelatoday.net/sites/UBEVET1W/files/DAV07714_xml.pdf ) and the

- The European Union
http://www.cpj.org/protests/07ltrs/americas/ven24may07pl.html

Please stay tuned. If you speak Spanish, www.venezuelatoday.net is streaming live Globovision, and providing excellent coverage in English and Spanish of the crisis.

Best,

Alex Beech
http://www.alexbeech.blogspot.com/

Maru Angarita
My blog is: http://maruangarita.blogspot.com/