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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| Venezuelan TV may air from Mexico | Venezuelan TV may air from Mexico |
| (about 1 hour 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | 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 to broadcast on a terrestrial frequency. | |
| 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. | 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. | 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. | 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. | Mr Chavez has said private stations like RCTV have since actively tried to destabilise his government. |