Hugo Chavez Shuts Down Cable Channel Amid Growing Popular Unrest

Ray Walser / January 25, 2010

Venezuela’s Hugo Chavez took another step aimed at consolidating his authoritarian choke hold on Venezuela by forcing cable providers to dump Radio Caracas Television (RCTV) from their broadcasting lineups.  The popular, anti- Chavez channel first ran afoul of the populist leader for its critical programming back in 2007.  At the time the Chavez government refused to renew its license to broadcast over open airwaves. It disappeared from the cable channels on January 24.

Government officials cited violations by RCTV such as failure to broadcast Chavez endless diatribes, airing soap operas during children’s hour, and other egregious infractions. This censorship by restrictive regulation is the favored tool of the Chavez regime as it accelerates throttling of individual rights and liberties.

Shutting down a TV station is hardly his only problem. On Saturday, January 23, large demonstrations for and against Chavez took to the streets of Caracas. (more…)