Chavez Critic Arrested For Criticizing Chavez At Press Conference in Aruba

Hugo Chavez has continued his crackdown on free speech with the arrest of one of his leading critics in the media for remarks deemed “offensive” to the wannabe totalitarian leader. Guillermo Zuloaga, owner of Globovision, was arrested for statements he allegedly made while attending an Inter American Press Association meeting on the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba.

Pro-Chavez lawmaker Manuel Villalba demanded the arrest after Zuloaga spoke out against the crackdown on critics. Villalba immediately called for a crackdown on this critic for saying such a thing.

Reporters from the meeting denounced the arrest and Alejandro Aguirre, president of the Inter American Press Association stated that the arrest shows Chavez’s government is “acting like a totalitarian government, like Cuba.”

Chavez prosecutors claim the right to prosecuted anyone under a law that prohibits Venezuelans from spreading “false information through any medium, . . . that cause public panic.” It appears that denouncing Chavez is a cause for public panic, making them the Latin American version of North Korea’s “Dear One.” Just for the record, it would be El Querido in spanish.

For the full story, click here.