Venezuela's Chavez singles out some TV networks as 'stirring disorder'

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
President Hugo Chavez urged authorities on Monday to impose sanctions on Venezuelan television networks that allegedly backed a military rebellion that briefly ousted him seven years ago. Chavez has long accused Venezuela's major TV channels - Venevision, Globovision, RCTV and Televen - of supporting the short-lived 2002 coup by broadcasting cartoons and movies instead of street protests that aided his return to power two days after the military uprising. The socialist leader accused privately owned TV channels of continuing to try to "stir up disorder." "Nobody has touched them," Chavez said of the TV networks during a speech to supporters in downtown Caracas. "Sanctions must be imposed." Chavez didn't elaborate, but similar comments in the past have prompted the government's telecommunications watchdog, Conatel, to slap fines on Globovision.