Saturday, January 6, 2007

CARACAS, Venezuela (Reuters): Venezuela's refusal to renew the license of an opposition-linked television station threatens free expression, the Organization of American States said on Friday.

The statement echoed opposition criticisms that President Hugo Chavez, a self-styled socialist revolutionary allied with Cuban leader Fidel Castro, seeks to restrict press freedoms.

Chavez last month said the government in March would not renew the license of RCTV, which provided favorable coverage of a bungled 2002 coup against him.

OAS Secretary General Jose Miguel Insulza described the move as intimidation and urged the government to reconsider its decision not to provide a broadcast license.

"Adoption of an administrative measure to close a news outlet gives the appearance of a form of censorship against freedom of expression and at the same time serves as a warning against other news organisations, leading them to limit their actions at the risk of facing the same fate," Insulza said in a statement.

The OAS, a 35-member diplomatic body based in Washington, has frequently functioned as a mediator in disputes between Venezuela's government and the opposition.

Chavez, re-elected by a landslide last month, has openly battled the nation's principal media outlets since the majority of them began openly collaborating with Venezuela's opposition parties in 2002. Most have moderated their tone since then.

His alliance with Havana and his promises to build a single ruling party have sparked opposition accusations that he is planning a Cuban-style crackdown on the Venezuelan media.

The opposition's candidate against Chavez in the December polls on Friday also criticised the president's announcement about RCTV.

"We believe this could be the beginning of a great blow to Venezuela's democratic system," Manuel Rosales told a news conference.

Chavez supporters have applauded the measure as a legitimate step against a station they say worked to force Chavez from office.

The president told soldiers during a December Christmas message that this "coup-plotting television channel will not be getting its license renewed" and recommended that the station begin turning off its equipment.

He said RCTV's license expires in March, though the station's management has told local media the concession does not end until 2019. The company was unavailable for comment.

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