Venezuelan protesters back opposition TV

CARACAS, Venezuela — Tens of thousands of Venezuelans marched Saturday to support a TV station aligned with opponents of President Hugo Chávez, whose government plans to kick the channel off the air next week by not renewing its license.

The protesters set off from four different points of the capital, converging downtown in the biggest show of support yet for Radio Caracas de Television, or RCTV, a network that has been critical of Chávez's government.

RCTV is due to go off the air at midnight May 27, when the government says its license expires. The channel and its supporters argue Chávez is trying to silence criticism, while the government says it will be replaced by a public-service station and that freedom of expression is being respected.

The decision not to renew RCTV's license has been criticized by press-freedom groups, Amnesty International, the secretary-general of the Organization of American States and the Roman Catholic Church.

Chávez has accused RCTV and other opposition-aligned private media of supporting a failed 2002 coup against him by broadcasting cartoons and movies instead of covering street protests that aided his return to power.

Government supporters also accuse RCTV of biased coverage that has glossed over improvements in medical care, education and other social programs introduced by the Chávez administration.

RCTV chief Marcel Granier has said RCTV has the right to keep broadcasting until 2022 and challenged the government's decision in court. Venezuela's Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed the first of a series of legal challenges by RCTV to remain on the air but left open the possibility for the channel to seek redress through other legal means.