Venezuela issued an arrest warrant Friday for the owner of the country's only remaining pro-opposition television channel that has been critical of President Hugo Chavez.
Security officers went to the home of Globovision's president, Guillermo Zuloaga, to arrest him and his son, who is also named in the warrant. Neither man was at the property.
Authorities say the father and son have been charged with usury. The charges are linked to a 2009 case in which the father and son were accused of illegally keeping 24 new Toyotas.
The elder Zuloaga is also facing charges for allegedly making false and offensive remarks about President Chavez at a meeting of the Inter-American Press Association in Aruba.
Zuloaga spoke about restrictions on freedom of expression in Venezuela at the March gathering.
The human rights body of the Organization of American States said earlier this year that it is concerned about the use of the punitive power of the state to silence opponents in Venezuela. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights called on Venezuela to avoid using direct or indirect means to silence critical opinions or allegations against members of the government.
The commission has issued a report saying Venezuela under President Chavez constrains freedom of expression and has placed serious restrictions on human rights. Mr. Chavez called the report "garbage."
Some information for this report was provided by AP and Reuters.
