Venezuela orders TV cameraman arrested in shooting
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
A cameraman for a TV news channel has been ordered arrested for his alleged role in a confrontation at a rural community that led to the wounding of a farm worker by a gunshot, a top government official announced Friday.
Interior Minister Tarek El Aissami said police are looking for Tolosa Robert Frank Torres, a cameraman for Globovision, which is a frequent critic of President Hugo Chavez's socialist-leaning government.
There was no immediate comment from Globovision, which said Thursday that it was cooperating with authorities. The company also said it did not condone employees being armed during journalistic work, while saying its TV team had been attacked by presumed local workers with "blunt objects."
{{#rendered}} {{/rendered}}
Aissami told state television on Friday that Tolosa Torres and other employees of Globovision entered a rural community in the state of Aragua without permission and were approached by local residents. He said a gunshot then wounded a farm machinery operator in the neck.
The justice minister noted that Globovision is a critic of the Chavez's administration, alleging that it "manipulates, distorts and attacks all the efforts of the government."
On Thursday, Vice President Elias Jaua said in a statement that the incident occurred Tuesday at a state-supported farm. He added that Chavez had ordered a rapid investigation to identify "those directly and indirectly responsible for this criminal attack."