Peace and War

Monday, May 28, 2007

Venezuelan opposition figure seriously injured in demonstration

Antonio Ledezma, leader of Venezuela's opposition Brave People's Alliance (ABP), suffered a chest wound on Sunday night during the protest against the closure of Radio Caracas Television (RCTV), Richard Blanco, a member of the ABP board told press Monday.

Ledezma is now in intensive care at the San Roman Urology clinic, eastern Caracas, where he was taken after police and National Guard officers broke up the demonstration, just hours after RCTV was taken off air Sunday.

Blanco said that his party would continue fighting for political change in the nation, despite the wounding of many people during the violent breakup of the demonstration outside the offices of Venezuelan regulator Conatel.

RCTV is a privately-owned entertainment channel which had been on air since 1953 and had 2,500 direct employees and 500 indirect workers. It stopped broadcasting Sunday night after the Venezuelan government refused to renew the channel's license.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez accused RCTV of having supported the failed 2002 coup against him, according to local media.

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