Caracas protests may prompt crackdown

<a href=news.ft.com>Finalcial times By Francisco Toro in Caracas Published: May 27 2003 19:53 | Last Updated: May 27 2003 19:53

Weekend violence in Caracas has prompted Venezuela's interior minister to consider new regulations that would restrict opposition protest activities in certain neighbourhoods.

The possible clampdown coincides with the proposal of a new law that critics say would place significant restrictions on media broadcasts.

The debates on the right to protest throughout the city and the media contents bill come as concern mounts that Hugo Chávez, Venezuela's president, is becoming more authoritarian.

Lucas Rincón, Venezuela's interior minister, spoke of prohibiting political demonstrations after a shootout erupted during a Caracas rally at the weekend, killing one and injuring at least 17.

The government said it had urged rally organisers to change the location from Caracas' west side. Radical paramilitary supporters of Mr Chávez had warned they would attack opposition marchers in their west side neighbourhood.

But opposition leaders insisted they had a constitutional right to march anywhere and accused the government of trying to turn parts of Caracas into de facto no-opposition areas.

After the rally, Freddy Bernal, the pro-Chávez mayor of downtown Caracas, said he would no longer issue permits for opposition protests in his jurisdiction, citing the risk of violence. José Vicente Rangel, Venezuela's vice-president, accused the opposition of staging the shootings in order to blame the government.

Teodoro Petkoff, editor of an influential opposition tabloid, attacked Mr Rangel for "ignoring and even conniving with criminal actions announced ahead of time and performed in view of everyone, and on top of it, accusing the victims [of] the crimes".

The controversy comes as Venezuela's National Assembly is discussing a controversial media contents bill, which critics say would muzzle the overwhelmingly anti-Chávez private broadcasters. The bill would ban all violent material on television before 11pm - even in the context of live news broadcasts - ostensibly to protect child viewers.

During the Saturday rally, most broadcasters carried live images of the shootout, including images of wounded protesters.

"Under the pretext of protecting children from violent programing, the government wants to impose excessive restrictions," said José Miguel Vivanco, executive director of Human Rights Watch.