Yuri Pimentel, Venezuelan Information and Communication minister, Thursday said Reporters Without Borders were disrespecting and "meddling with Venezuelan internal affairs" as part of a plan to attack President Hugo Chávez' government.

He was replying to a press release issued by the organization to reject the detention of Venezuelan journalist Oscar Azócar Alcalá on Monday.

"Reporters Without Borders is disrespecting Venezuela and meddling with our internal affairs and with the sovereign rulings of judges, with the complicity of the coup-plotting opposition and the privately owned media. This is a new media attack that is part of the psychological war of the empire intended to justify their aggressions against our country," the official said in a press release.

The Venezuelan government claims that RWB is funded by the US administration through the National Endowment for Democracy (NED.)

"Just like the government of (US President George W.) Bush, with its secret services, facade groups and lackeys in Venezuela, Reporters Without Borders has started operations for the next media sabotage against the Bolivarian revolution," the communiqué added.