TEGUCIGALPA - Soldiers ousted the democratically elected president of Honduras on Sunday and Congress named a successor, but the leftist ally of Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez denounced what he called an illegal coup and vowed to stay in power. The first military takeover of a Central American government in 16 years drew widespread condemnation from governments in Latin America and the world, and Chavez vowed to overthrow the country's apparent new leader. President Manuel Zelaya was...

The Peruvian government's decision this month to revoke the broadcast license of a local radio station could have a chilling effect on community broadcasting in Peru, Human Rights Watch said today. The timing and circumstances of the revocation suggest that it may have been an act of censorship, or punishment, in response to coverage of anti-government protests on June 5, 2009. On June 8, the Ministry of Transport and Telecommunications revoked Radio La Voz de Bagua's broadcast license. Other...

Mérida -- In response to the fatal clashes between indigenous protestors and the Peruvian government over the weekend, the Venezuelan Foreign Relations Ministry has released a statement expressing its solidarity with both the security forces and the indigenous people killed, while Venezuelan Indigenous Affairs Minister Nicia Maldonado called the Peruvian government's violent repression "terrorism." Over the weekend, an estimated 30 to 50 indigenous activists were killed and...

Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez Frías should refrain from making threatening statements and ensure the press is allowed to work without government interference, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has said. Chávez accused private media outlets of destabilising democracy in comments earlier last week. During his weekly radio and TV programme "Aló, Presidente" on Sunday, Chávez said Venezuelan private media outlets were "inciting...

“Don’t be surprised if the government takes action against a few media which continue to practice terrorism”, said Chavez during a press conference in Buenos Aires where he arrived for a brief visit in support of President Cristina Fernandez de Kirchner administration. His warnings follow instructions to his officials to begin legal actions against the “terrorist” media of Venezuela. Chavez was referring to the recent controversy involving the Deputy...

CARACAS - President Hugo Chavez's ruling party stepped up attacks on a private television channel, accusing it of "media terrorism" for getting ahead of the government in airing a report on an earthquake. The attacks on Globovision, an independent 24-hour news channel, came a day after Chavez charged that private radio and television stations were "inciting hatred" and hinting that they were in for "a little surprise." Chavez's United Socialist Party followed up...

San Cristóbal de Las Casas.- For allegedly being living under semi-slavery, a group of eight Chamula families professing the Muslim religion in the highlands of Chiapas abandoned the group formed in 1994, said the indigene Carlos Arturo Gomez, whose Islamic name is Moustafa. He explained that they decided to leave the group because they were exploited, since they had to work for over 12 hours a day and received less than 1,000 pesos per month. In addition, they were not allowed...

CALI, Colombia - Colombia's FARC rebels on Thursday freed a former lawmaker held captive for nearly seven years in jungle camps in the last of three hostage releases this week by Latin America's oldest insurgency. His two sons sprinted across the tarmac to hug Sigifredo Lopez after a Red Cross team ferried him by helicopter from the jungle to Cali, where he was kidnapped in 2002 in a brazen rebel raid on a provincial assembly. Lopez was the last politician the FARC was holding for prisoner...

REUTERS - Colombia's government said it would allow a left-wing senator to take part in a planned hostage release alongside a Red Cross delegation on Monday, easing doubts about whether the mission would go ahead. FARC rebels freed four hostages on Sunday in the first of three prisoner releases planned this week but complaints of military harassment during the handover cast doubt on the release of two politicians held for years in jungle camps. "The president has agreed to a request...

MONTERREY, Mexico - Masked gunmen opened fire and tossed a grenade at a Mexican television station as it aired its nightly newscast Tuesday, leaving behind a message warning the station about its coverage of drug gangs. No injuries were reported in the assault on the Televisa network's studio in the northern city of Monterrey. It was the latest in a series of attacks on journalists covering drug cartels in Mexico. Televisa Monterrey director Francisco Cobo said the masked gunmen arrived in...