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Venezuelan TV may air from Mexico | Venezuelan TV may air from Mexico |
(about 15 hours later) | |
The head of an opposition-aligned TV station in Venezuela which was taken off air by the government has said he may broadcast programmes from Mexico. | |
Marcel Granier, the head of RCTV - whose licence was not renewed on 27 May - said he would broadcast to Venezuelans by any means possible. | |
He said he had "good friends" in Mexican broadcasting. | |
President Hugo Chavez replaced RCTV, which in 2002 backed a coup attempt against him, with a state-funded TV. | |
"Our commitment... is to re-establish that contact [with Venezuelans], either from Venezuela or from abroad, by any means possible, by cable, by satellite, by internet," Mr Granier told reporters in Mexico City, according to the Associated Press. | "Our commitment... is to re-establish that contact [with Venezuelans], either from Venezuela or from abroad, by any means possible, by cable, by satellite, by internet," Mr Granier told reporters in Mexico City, according to the Associated Press. |
'Populist threat' | 'Populist threat' |
Thousands of people across the country protested on the streets of the capital, Caracas, last month after Mr Chavez's decision not to renew Radio Caracas TV's licence. | |
Police, government supporters and protesters clashed violently. | Police, government supporters and protesters clashed violently. |
Mr Chavez's supporters rallied - but so did RCTV allies | Mr Chavez's supporters rallied - but so did RCTV allies |
There were also demonstrations in favour of RCTV's closure. | |
Mr Granier spoke to reporters after a meeting with former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, who criticised an "alarming" rise in populist governments in Latin America, and the threat he believed they would pose to democracy. | Mr Granier spoke to reporters after a meeting with former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar, who criticised an "alarming" rise in populist governments in Latin America, and the threat he believed they would pose to democracy. |
Mr Aznar did not name any particular leaders, but President Chavez's administration has been criticised by its opponents for being populist. | |
RCTV and rights groups said Mr Chavez was limiting freedom of expression when the station was closed down. | RCTV and rights groups said Mr Chavez was limiting freedom of expression when the station was closed down. |
Employees of the station, Venezuela's most watched channel, embraced and chanted "freedom", before bowing their heads in tearful prayer, during the final minutes on air. | Employees of the station, Venezuela's most watched channel, embraced and chanted "freedom", before bowing their heads in tearful prayer, during the final minutes on air. |
Radio Caracas TV openly called for Mr Chavez to be removed from power during a failed coup attempt in 2002. | |
Mr Chavez has said private stations like RCTV have since actively tried to destabilise his government. |