The violence has kept Venezuela on edge as Chávez opponents prepare a signature drive to demand a referendum on ending his six-year term, which runs until 2007. Chávez insists his opponents lack the popular support to gather the required 2.4 million signatures.
On Sunday, Interior Minister Lucas Rincón said seven people have been arrested in connection with the bombings but did not identify them or provide details.
Also Monday, Prosecutor Américo Gloria revealed there were two explosions at the Fuerte Tiuna military base Oct. 5 -- not one as authorities originally said***
The Miami-based umbrella group of nearly all newspapers in the Americas said Cuba is the country where freedom of the press ``is violated most systematically and completely.''
''Twenty-eight independent journalist are serving prison sentences ranging from 14 to 27 years in subhuman conditions, far from their families, with no medical attention and no respect for their other basic human rights,'' the IAPA concluded in a report.
Venezuela was also mentioned as a concern for harassment of Venezuelan journalist by sympathizers of President Hugo Chávez.
A ''special distinction'' of the IAPA's award went to the 28 Cuban journalists.
Receiving the award on their behalf, Humberto Castelló, executive editor of El Nuevo Herald of Miami, asked Jack Fuller, the Chicago Tribune publisher IAPA president, ``not to allow Venezuela to become a new Cuba with the press.''
The IAPA also said national security is being used as a pretext to clamp down on the media in the United States. [End]