Court bans publication and distribution of Sexto Poder

Marco Da Costa, an assistant to the president of weekly journal Sexto Poder, said he was served a notice whereby a court banned the publication and distribution of the journal by any means.

"Once again they are closing a media outlet. They are harming freedom of expression (...) We are being hit," said Da Costa.

http://www.eluniversal.com/2011/08/22/court-bans-publication-and-distribution-of-sexto-poder.shtml

More censorship supported by "progressives".

Their article, "The Powerful Women of the Beautiful Revolution", talked about the most important women in the regime referring to it as a permanent show and a cabaret.

We keep hearing that Venezuela is an actual functioning democracy.

among others

http://www.el-nacional.com/www/site/p_contenido.php?q=nodo/231403/Nación/Directora-de-6to-Poder-fue-trasladada-a-tribunales

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but I have absolutely no sympathy for the Venezuelan media, specially after their failed attempt to depose Chávez in 2002.

They evoke "freedom of expression" to legitimate the political use of their influence, but they wouldn't miss a single opportunity to depose the democratically elected president, even by throwing the country in the hands of a military junta.

Americans should understand that "bias" in Latin American media is not just a question of molding perception. Media in Latin America was directly involved in supporting the coups and supporting the KILLINGS and TORTURE of dozens of thousands of civilians.

Media moguls helped funding death squads in Brazil. They engaged in a campaign to raise funds to help the military junta exterminate the opposition. The most influent Brazilian newspaper to these days, Folha de S. Paulo, lend its cars to the regime in order to transport victims of torture in secret.

A large share of Latin American media acts like criminal organisation and should be treated like that by anyone who really stands for democracy.

So if the right wing gets control again you will be cool with them doing that to leftist publications?

Media in Latin America have also suffered a hell of a lot from military juntas as journalists were themselves tortured and killed by hundreds during those days.

If you want to talk about FSP in Brazil, that's fine and I'll surely agree with your objection. But I see no relation with this subject which concerns a very different group of journalists who have nothing to do with Brazil, nor with the coup in 2002. I believe you shouldn't put people in a predetermined category unless you know who they are. Or maybe you consider that they should be punished for what others did before them... maybe they will probably be guilty of treason one day or the other so we'll just declare them guilty right away.

You're a progressive so you can't possibly agree with that. But still, I see that it's not the satyr by itself that bothers you, but the fact that they are 1. Latin American, 2. journalists and 3. critical of the Venezuelan regime. Why is that so? Did the coup in 2002 magically transformed into suspects and potential saboteurs all Venezuelans who don't identify with the governing party? Only the journalists? Even the ones that had nothing to do with journalism 9 years ago?

It's also irrelevant to talk about Pinochet, Videla or Stroessner regimes when referring to Venezuela. In those days, Venezuela was, with Mexico, the safe haven in Latin America for political refugees. I know it from personal experience since I grew up in the 70's with Argentinian teachers and exiled Chilean friends of my mother around.