Court Fines Venezuelan Comedian Marquez

AP via SFGate ^ | 2/14/7 | CHRISTOPHER TOOTHAKER

[SmithL]

CARACAS, Venezuela -- Comedian Laureano Marquez has poked fun at politicians for decades without getting into trouble with the law, so he didn't think twice about writing a tongue-in-cheek newspaper editorial based on a dialogue between President Hugo Chavez and his 9-year-old daughter.

But Marquez and a publishing company that printed the column in the Tal Cual newspaper are now facing fines imposed by a local court for "violating the honor, reputation and private life" of Rosines Chavez Rodriguez, Chavez's youngest daughter.

Marquez — one of Venezuela's leading humorists — denies any wrongdoing and argues the $18,600 fine imposed on the Mosca Analfabeta publisher is part of a government initiative in which pro-Chavez prosecutors and judges are being used to silence critics. Marquez must separately pay a fine of a yet-to-be-determined amount.

"A desire to fill the media (and) comedians with fear is what's behind this," Marquez told a news conference as Teodoro Petkoff, the director of Tal Cual, held up the newspaper's Wednesday edition with a banner headline reading: "They won't shut us up."

"We feel the need for this to be everybody's battle, that's why we have asked for collaboration for the defense of freedom of expression," said Petkoff, a former leftist guerrilla who has become one of Chavez's most outspoken critics.

[cripplecreek]

Guess he didn't realize there's a new sheriff in town.

[Billthedrill]

Not long now before they'll be sending guys like that on a long camping trip. Not the kind with the marshmallow roasts and the campfire singalongs...

[Lx]

Avoid any train rides set up by this guy:

[Alia]

Ping.

[Gay State Conservative]

Smart move there claiming that the daughter was the victim of the crime.And if the comedian wrote about a chat between Chavez and Satan (the real one) they would have declared Satan to have been the victim.

[Domicile of Doom]

HaHa, off to the gulag with you senor.

[JeeperFreeper]

Any chance of the lefties in S.F. seeing this dictator as the pinnacle of their liberal thought? Just joking.

[vpintheak]

Was this guy thinking he was in America or something? He is lucky he didn't get shot. Remember to thank Jimmuh.

[AreaMan]

History repeats itself. This is Cuba approx 40 years ago.
Anyone with a brain in their head can see how "well" Cuba worked out.
The song remains the same.

[GreenLanternCorps]

What's the Spanish word for Gestapo?

[hardworking]

"They won't shut us up."

Yeah. Right. Ever hear of a country called the Soviet Union?

[SmithL]

Any chance of the lefties in S.F. seeing this dictator as the pinnacle of their liberal thought?

Don't be silly. San Francisco politicians remain true to Castro.

[sig226]

Prediction:
Nothing turns off the the celebrity left like attacks on (their) freedom of speech. When this gathers a little steam, Chavez will realize that he is losing supporters among the Hollywood left. This can't be allowed to happen.

Chavez pays the guy's fine. Marquez makes nice with Chavez while Cindy Sheehan looks on. Sheehan says that this is exactly what George Bush wants to do to her. Pat Robertson is invoked, as if his remarks were comparable to a criminal penalty. Chavez tells the people, meaning the international press, that we have to laws about insulting leaders because George Bush . . .

This will be just fine with the left, who now realize that if they wanted to make a joke about Chavez, they could, but of course, they won't. They also fantasize about George Bush or Condi Rice getting arrested in Venezuela for being mean to poor little Hugo.

Story diasppears.

[ExGeeEye]

A direct translation of "Geheime Staatspolizei" might be "Policía Secreto Del Estado"; Spanish abbrieviation standars are outside my experience.

[StJacques]

I translated Marquez's "letter" at the request of Publius Pundit and I think you can look for it either later today (Thursday) or possibly tomorrow, Friday. I expect a good presentation of it at that site.