Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez is coming under fire from the U.S. government for his treatment of journalists in recent months, leading some to say that the leftist leader has outdone himself when it comes to his well-known efforts to silence critics.
This month, Chavez ordered the closure of 32 privately owned radio stations and two TV broadcast outlets, saying their licenses were invalid or expired. He also is supporting a law that would sentence people who commit "media crimes" to prison, according to CNN.
In addition, the past couple weeks have witnessed at least two separate incidents in which journalists have been beaten by angry mobs of Chavez supporters. Last week, for instance, 12 journalists were taken to the hospital after being thrown to the ground and kicked during a demonstration in which the journalists were passing out leaflets criticizing a bill that would impinge on the rights of the press.
The U.S. Open Source Center -- a government office -- recently released a report concluding that Chavez is "moving forcefully to silence critics."
Chavez has long loathed the media in his country, and blames private television stations for supporting a coup that led to his brief ouster in 2002. In 2007, he effectively shut down the nation's second-largest privately run TV channel by refusing to renew its license. It was replaced by a state-run media outlet.
In response to the criticism, Chavez has said the closure of the 32 stations and his support for the "media crimes" law are unrelated, and says the moves are supported by existing law. Chavez also publicly condemned at least one of the attacks against the journalists.
