Seems that Hugo Chavez followed Sean Penn's advice...

[maxmordon]

Anti-Chavez TV Channel Owner Arrested in Venezuela</NYT_HEADLINE>


CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- The owner of Venezuela's only remaining TV channel that takes a critical line against President Hugo Chavez (http://topics.nytimes.com/top/reference/timestopics/people/c/hugo_chavez/index.html?inline=nyt-per) was arrested Thursday, raising concerns the government is carrying out a widening crackdown aimed at silencing opponents.
Guillermo Zuloaga, owner of Globovision, was arrested on a warrant for remarks that were deemed ''offensive'' to the president, Attorney General Luisa Ortega said.
Zuloaga said military intelligence agents detained him at an airport in the northwestern state of Falcon as he was preparing to fly on his private plane with his wife to the Caribbean island of Bonaire, where they planned to vacation.

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/03/25/world/AP-LT-Venezuela-News-Media.html

Mr. Penn must be feeling important, influencing a head of state and all that...

[Don]

Take Sean Penn.





Please.





We don't want him.

[maxmordon]

Take Sean Penn.





Please.





We don't want him.


You already took Wilmer Valderrama from us, so it only seems fair.

[maxmordon]

Seriously, though. The government decreed yesterday that would be giving the whole next week off, meaning that neither of the three men who were arrested will be getting a hearing until afte Easter. Which seems to rather suspicious, to be honest.

[Zoombie]

What a dick!

[Shadow Dragon]

I just love this part:
Ortega said prosecutors are investigating Zuloaga for remarks he made during a recent Inter American Press Association meeting on the Dutch Caribbean island of Aruba, where he joined other media executives in criticizing Chavez's government for limiting free speech and cracking down on critics.

He's being arrested for criticizing the lack of free speech. I can't be the only one to see the irony in that.

[maxmordon]

Zuloaga has been released tonight, but is not allowed to leave Venezuelan territory under the charges of Offending The Venezuelan President and Spreading False News.

Article 147 of the Venezuelan Legal Code say:

Whoever offends, either spoken or written, or any other way insult The President of The Republic, or someone doing said duties, will be punished with jail from 6 to 30 months {...}

Really curious stuff.

Not the first time Zuloaga has been caught by the law, they found out a couple of years ago that he was guilty of Usury and Stockpiling: He was hiding cars in one of his houses, waiting to inflation to atack again to sell them again. Also, they pretty much made up some ridiculous environment charges because he had some hunting trophies from his youth in said house. The guy is not a saint, but in a place where they arrest you for "insulting the president", nobody is.

[Zoombie]

I like how he's being told that he's spreading "false news" because he's saying that he does not have free speech.

So he's telling the truth.

[brokenfingers]

I didn't see any mention of Sean Penn in the article.

[dgiharris]

I didn't see any mention of Sean Penn in the article.
Neither did I.

Not to say he isn't a pretentious fucktard with an ego the size of Wrigley field...

I'm not current on all of this, how exactly is Sean Penn involved here?

As for the arrest, it is a shame that there are limits on free speech down there.

Mel...

[dageezer]

It's Penn's statements that the Op is refering...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/mar/11/sean-penn-hugo-chavez-venezuela

Penn stated that journalists should go to prison if they call Chavez a dictator.

What a nut bag

[SPMiller]

No matter what he thinks about Chavez, advocating imprisonment for what appears to be an exercise of free speech is outrageous.

[dgiharris]

Sean Penn has defended Hugo Chávez as a model democrat and said those who call him a dictator should be jailed.

The Oscar-winning actor and political activist accused the US media of smearing Venezuela's socialist president and called for journalists to be punished.

"Every day, this elected leader is called a dictator here, and we just accept it, and accept it. And this is mainstream media. There should be a bar by which one goes to prison for these kinds of lies."


You have got to be fucking kidding me.

I can not believe that with all the shit Sean Penn has spoken about our government, and the actions he has taken to undermine our own government, that he would actually say something like this.

I'm amazed how hollywood types are so freaking removed from reality. What kind of mental contortion allows him to think what he thinks, do what he does, and not see the hypocrisy of his actions?

And the fact that an American is against free speech just boggles my mind.

I fear for our species. I mean, if this amount of self delusion and irrationality is possible, how on Earth are we ever going to come together? How can there be a meeting of the minds when your adversary is high on the fumes of his on BS.

what a fucktard

Mel...

[maxmordon]

You have got to be fucking kidding me.

I can not believe that with all the shit Sean Penn has spoken about our government, and the actions he has taken to undermine our own government, that he would actually say something like this.

I'm amazed how hollywood types are so freaking removed from reality. What kind of mental contortion allows him to think what he thinks, do what he does, and not see the hypocrisy of his actions?

And the fact that an American is against free speech just boggles my mind.

I fear for our species. I mean, if this amount of self delusion and irrationality is possible, how on Earth are we ever going to come together? How can there be a meeting of the minds when your adversary is high on the fumes of his on BS.

what a fucktard

Mel...

This is why I feel growing up in Venezuela has been a great lesson in politics, in which other way someone would be disappointed of its government so quickly?

Now, I have known Sean Penn is a hypocrite since he had a small role in Before The Night Falls which is the biopic of gay Cuban poet Reinaldo Arenas who was jailed because, well, he was gay and Cuba considered homosexuality as a sign of "Capitalist moral decadence", yet, Penn has the nerve to express admiration toward Castro and even starring Milk. Have you no shame, Mr. Penn?

[Paul]

Hmmm.

Lot of propaganda surrounding the whole Chavez thingy.

'Course the line between propaganda and promotion sometimes blurs for some.

I wonder did St*. Pinochet draw such indignation from 'freedom of speech' commentators? I know Allende did.

Sure, Chavez may be getting paranoid (though not without reason) but if the choice is 'this or that' give me a Chavez over a Pinochet any, any, day of the week.

*a saint according to some...