Venezuela downplays student protests

CARACAS, Venezuela, Oct. 8 (UPI) -- Venezuela is playing down a spate of youth protests as a right-wing conspiracy hatched by enemies of the Bolivarian revolution.

As any criticism of government measures, especially criticism originating in the West, is roundly condemned in Caracas as part of a wider attempt to overthrow President Hugo Chavez, and protests within Venezuela are being cited as a conspiracy against his Bolivarian revolution, official media reports showed.

In his "Hello President" television program this week, Chavez dubbed student protests as right-wing opposition activity that defended "impunity and corruption."

Youth protests, including hunger strikes, were sparked by the arrest and detention in September of Julio Rivas, the coordinator and founder of Juventud Activa de Venezuela Unida -- United Active Youth of Venezuela.

The government accuses JAVU of being a recipient of funds from U.S. government-affiliated organizations and of aiming to interfere with Venezuela's internal affairs.

Venezuelan opposition groups deny the allegation, which they say is the government's answer to criticism of suppressive measures against privately owned Venezuelan media.

Rivas was released on Sept. 29 but is facing charges of inciting rebellion, damaging public property and using weapons.

Although Rivas was freed conditionally, opposition student groups and political parties said they would continue their protests to press for release of "all the other political prisoners" in Venezuela.

Opposition groups have included former police officers implicated in a bloody crackdown on student protests and officials accused of corruption among the prisoners they want released, giving rise to the mocking rebuttal from Chavez the opposition is backing "corruption and impunity."

In counter-demonstrations in Caracas, pro-Chavez youths called for peace and tolerance but claimed the protesting students were misled and manipulated by the opposition leadership.

Both sides of the argument have gone largely unreported inside and outside Venezuela, however, because Chavez shut down dozens of media organizations during the summer.

In August the government withdrew the licenses of 34 privately owned radio and television stations and warned more strictures would follow.

"Is it still possible to publicly express any criticism at all of President Hugo Chavez's 'Bolivarian' government?" Reporters Without Frontiers asked in a statement condemning the move.

When the authorities announced the withdrawal of the broadcast media licenses, they warned that 200 other radio and TV stations could suffer the same fate.

Diosdado Carlos Correa, the head of Espacio Publico non-government organization advocating press freedom, called the crackdown "without precedent in a period of democracy."

An Amnesty International team that visited Venezuela in July reported attacks on journalists were widespread and human-rights defenders continued to suffer harassment. Prison conditions provoked hunger strikes in facilities across the country, Amnesty said.

"Some significant steps were taken to implement the 2007 law on violence against women but there was a lack of commitment from many of the authorities responsible," Amnesty said. "Lack of arms control contributed to high levels of violence and public insecurity."

Human Rights Watch reported, "The Venezuelan government has adopted and proposed measures that reduce the ability of government critics to voice their opinions and will seriously limit freedom of expression in Venezuela."

Amid all the closures, Chavez has unveiled plans to create a brand-new Radio del Sur -- Radio of the South -- in collaboration with Ecuador, the official Venezuelan news agency ABN said.

"This is a war of ideas, an everyday war," Chavez said, announcing the new radio project. "Therefore, it is essential to create efficient information mechanisms to show the truth about the realities in our countries."

Responding to U.S. State Department criticism of his foreign tours, Chavez called on the Obama administration to create more constructive relations in the region.