Chavez opponent charged for televised remarks

[Bacchus39]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100320/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_venezuela_chavez_foe

.

..Chavez opponent charged for televised remarks

CARACAS, Venezuela – Venezuelan prosecutors charged a government opponent with conspiracy and other crimes Friday after he said on a television program that the country has become a haven for drug trafficking.

Former Zulia state Gov. Oswaldo Alvarez Paz is accused of spreading false information and publicly inciting violation of the law.

"Venezuela has turned into a center of operations that facilitates the business of drug trafficking," Alvarez said on a television talk show last month, adding Friday that he stands by his remark and has broken no laws.

Critics accuse President Hugo Chavez of growing increasingly intolerant and of using the judicial system to harass and in some cases imprison opponents.

Chavez denies holding sway over prosecutors and insists Venezuela has a democracy where multiple viewpoints are welcome. Yet he has also called for authorities to act when people spread false information that he says is aimed at destabilizing his government.

Chavez has taken a hard line in demanding scrutiny of Globovision, the channel on which Alvarez spoke and the lone stridently anti-Chavez outlet on the television airwaves. Globovision faces multiple investigations by government regulators for alleged violations of broadcast regulations.

[protocol rv]

1. Interesting

So now we're going to see Venezuela's judicial system decide when information is aimed at "destabilizing the government". Exactly where does it say in the Venezuelan Constitution anything about limiting free speech to ensure a stable government? The government would be a lot more stable if it were run more efficiently.

[struggle4progress]

2. Since the yahoo article (which seems to come from AP) is completely uninformative,

here are a few other links

CARACAS (AP) - The Attorney General on Friday accused .. Oswaldo Alvarez Paz .. of "conspiracy" and "public incitement to crime" for a statement .. that criticized actions taken by the government to fight drug trafficking ... The Public Prosecutor opened an investigation .. on March 9 at the request of deputies Manuel Villalba and Pedro Lander ... Villalba recently told .. El Universal that the opposition leader tried to link the Executive with drug trafficking ...
Fiscalía imputó a opositor venezolano
19 de Marzo de 2010, 08:05pm ET
http://www.univision.com/contentroot/wirefeeds/50noticias/8169775.shtml

... Oswaldo Alvarez Paz has been in Office 19 since early this morning ... Manuel Villalba, chairman of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Media, requested several days ago an investigation .. against Alvarez for allegedly inciting hatred in an interview on Globovision ... Alvarez said during the interview that "Venezuela has become an operations center that facilitates the business of drug trafficking."
Marzo 19, 2010 - 10:11 am
Oswaldo Alvarez Paz comparece hoy ante la fiscalia
http://noticiaaldia.com/2010/03/oswaldo-alvarez-paz-comparece-hoy-ante-la-fiscalia/

... Alvarez said the complaint could only apply for the alleged crimes of incitement to hatred, media terrorism, and "incitement to crime partially wrapped with treason" after the request is marked by foreign intervention in the country. In requesting the investigation, Villalba said the statements were a crime against institutions and recorded a video on the prosecution to substantiate his claim ...
Imputaron a Alvarez Paz por presunta conspiración
Semana.com.ve - e
Marzo 19, 2010, 1:02 pm
http://www.semana.com.ve/article.php?id=10285

... On Friday, the former governor went to the regional prosecutor's office ... where he was charged, which .. could result in a sentence of 16 years ... The prosecution also accused the former defense minister, Italo del Valle Alliegro, for his alleged involvement in the events .. during .. February and .. March 1989 which officially resulted with the death of 331 people ...
NVESTIGACIÓN PENAL
Fiscalía imputó a Álvarez Paz
Sábado 20 de Marzo de 2010
http://www.eltiempo.com.ve/noticias/default.asp?id=324723

National prosecutor .. Gineira Rodriguez yesterday accused .. Oswaldo Alvarez Paz .. of conspiracy (sentence of 8 to 16), public incitement to commit a crime (from 3 to 6 years) and spreading false information (2 to 5 years), established in the Penal Code ... The politician went to the MP headquarters accompanied by former Interior and Justice Minister Ignacio Arcaya ...
Fiscalía imputó a Álvarez Paz por opiniones ofrecidas en Globovisión
CARACAS, sábado 20 de marzo, 2010
http://politica.eluniversal.com/2010/03/20/pol_art_fiscalia-imputo-a-al_1803591.shtml

After appearing .. before the Attorney General .. the political opposition leader, Oswaldo Alvarez Paz, rejected the accusation by statements .. on the basis of a resolution adopted by the Spain's National Court, which linked the Venezuelan government to ETA and FARC. Alvarez Paz said "such serious allegations deserve to be treated as such ..."...
Ex gobernador Álvarez Paz rechaza imputación del Ministerio Público
Caracas, 20 de marzo de 2010
http://noticiero.venevision.net/index_not.asp?id_noticia=20100319002904&id_seccion=04

[naaman fletcher]

3. It must be a mistranslation

Chavez is a leftists and would never use government power to stifle dissent.

[protocol rv]

4. I guess it's Darkness at Noon time

They are gradually clamping down on free speech. They see the poll numbers, and know the economy is crashing, the move is on to muzzle free speech, control the media, silence criticism, etc.