Chavez makes some arrests....

Sounds like they are evil people...

The arrests of an opposition politician and the owner of a television network for statements critical of the government of President Hugo Chavez has rekindled debate here over free speech and democracy in Venezuela.

Chavez supporters deny that the president's critics are being persecuted, but others see the latest developments as a concerted attempt to silence opposition voices.

"Having an opinion in Venezuela is a crime punished with the loss of freedom. We reject everything that restricts freedom of expression in the country, and the witch hunts against those who assume dissident positions," said Juan Jose Molina, an opposition member of the National Assembly.

On Monday, authorities arrested Oswaldo Alvarez Paz, a former opposition governor and presidential candidate who had charged on television that Venezuela has become a center of operations that facilitates drug trafficking.

On Thursday, the president of Globovision, Guillermo Zuloaga, was arrested for statements he made in the Dutch island of Aruba. He was charged with the crime of offending Chavez and spreading false information.