Venezuela bars foreign funding for NGOs

Venezuela's congress has passed a law that bars foreign funding for nongovernment organisations, adding to a series of measures that government opponents say are aimed at quashing dissent. Lawmakers allied with President Hugo Chavez approved the law, which puts in jeopardy human rights groups and other organisations that receive foreign funding. It says organisations that are determined to have received money from abroad can be fined up to double the amount of funding received.
The law also provides for sanctions against organisations or political parties that invite foreigners to the country who criticise Venezuelan institutions. Anti-Chavez politicians denounced the law approved late Tuesday as a blow to democracy.