Vargas Llosa: Venezuela moving to Cuba-like regime
By FABIOLA SANCHEZ
Associated Press Writer
CARACAS, Venezuela -- Peruvian author Mario Vargas Llosa warned Thursday
that Venezuela is headed toward a dictatorship under President Hugo
Chavez, and the country may eventually resemble Cuba's communist-led
autocracy.
The acclaimed writer, who was questioned when entering Venezuela on
Monday and told to limit his political statements, opened a
pro-democracy forum by saying Chavez's government "is moving farther
away from a liberal democracy."
"There's still space for criticism," Vargas Llosa told the forum in
Caracas. But "the threat of a blackout in the area of liberties, freedom
of expression and the press, has increased significantly."
Vargas Llosa and other guests were invited to speak at the forum
organized by Cedice, a conservative, Caracas-based think tank that has
come under criticism from Chavez allies.
They pledged to speak their mind despite warnings from officials, who
also stopped other participants earlier this week and told them not to
criticize Venezuela's government.
Without specifically referring to Vargas Llosa, Chavez said Thursday
that visiting intellectuals have come to "offend" and "provoke" him.
Using a popular Venezuelan maxim to downplay criticism from his
detractors, Chavez said: "Eagles don't hunt flies."
"If there were a tyranny here, they would not have entered the country
or they would be in jail," Chavez added.
Vargas Llosa also raised concerns over Chavez's repeated calls for
sanctions against the television station Globovision - the only
stridently anti-government channel left on the open airwaves.
Regulators are investigating Globovision for allegedly inciting "panic
and anxiety" in its coverage of a minor earthquake on May 4, the latest
of many government complaints against the station.
Critics have long accused Chavez of cracking down on dissent, but the
socialist leader argues that Venezuela's democracy is healthier than ever.
Vargas Llosa: Venezuela moving to Cuba-like regime - Americas -
MiamiHerald.com (28 May 2009)
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