Caracas: A Venezuelan Web site that was accused by President Hugo Chavez of spreading false reports of killings has said the government is trying to restrict criticism, but announced it had banned the visitors who posted the inaccurate rumours.
Chavez accused Noticiero Digital--a Web site popular among the president`s opponents--of falsely reporting that two of his close political allies had been assassinated, and he called for regulation of the Internet, specifically urging prosecutors to act against the Web site.
"The Internet can`t be something free where anything can be done and said. No, every country has to impose its rules and regulations," Chavez said in a televised speech on Saturday.
His comments came a few days after the state-run telecommunications company, CANTV, announced that it plans to establish a centralised, government-controlled gateway for all Internet traffic. CANTV President Franco Silva did not say how the system would work, but denied it would be used to control access to the Web.
Noticiero Digital responded on Sunday, posting a statement that Chavez`s comments are "a serious threat against freedom of expression, threats that are becoming increasingly frequent in Venezuela, affecting radio stations, the press and now--Internet."
PTI
